


Venator In Prosthesis

by axayashinoceres, KATastrofic222



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eren with prosthetics, M/M, Slow Build, non-titan shifter Eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-04 21:56:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1794547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axayashinoceres/pseuds/axayashinoceres, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KATastrofic222/pseuds/KATastrofic222
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three years of training and two human kills under his belt. But Eren never got to kill his first titan. The only thing he ever got from titans is the loss of home, loved ones, and now, an arm and a leg. You'd think it was the end of his non existent military career. You'd think that he would just fade in the background. He did. But not without a plan.</p><p>Eren comes back as whole as he made himself to be. His determination to defeat titans burning hotter than ever. It never died, it simply took another route.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! As you can see this is a collaboration between my sister and I. It is based off nonkan's plotbunny found [here](http://nonkan.tumblr.com/post/87423120783/what-if-eren-didnt-have-the-ability-to-shift-the)
> 
> axa is the main author, I'm just her editor who helps her think of the plot!  
> -KAT

Have you ever had a really realistic dream about losing everything and everyone you ever known and loved? Did you see your own death among theirs?

_It doesn't matter. It was only just a dream._

_And man shall be given a cruel reminder that day, of the reality of why they live like cattle surrounded by great walls._

_It was a black reminder, one drenched in blood._

_…_

_“MOOOOM!!!!”_

 

Eren Jaeger, woke up with a pained gasp, sweat-drenched and chest heaving.

 

“Eren, are you okay?” his friend, Armin Arlert, was crouched over him by his bedside, looking like he knew but worried all the same

 

“Nothing, just a nightmare,” he replied once he got his heart rate stabilized.

 

“The usual?” the blonde asked as he passed Eren a towel to wipe off with.

 

“...Yeah.”

 

Armin said nothing and merely began changing into his uniform for today’s classes. The only sound in the room was Connie’s snores. The  others were already eating breakfast in the cafeteria. Eren was quick, and silently waited for his friend to finish before speaking up.

 

“We should wake him up.”

 

Armin nodded in agreement and started shaking their roommate awake. They needed to leave soon or they would miss breakfast altogether. If that happens, they’d have to wait until lunch time to get a meal.

 

Mikasa Ackerman looked up from the food she was nibbling on once the door of the cafeteria opened to reveal the last three members of their squad. Connie immediately sped off to get his share of breakfast. Eren and Armin followed him at a more sedate pace. While they went to get their share, she silently observed her brother. She noted the tightness of his mouth and the shadow of pain in his eyes, the pallid skin.

 

She waited until the two sat down beside her, and even then she said nothing. She waited until the three of them were done with breakfast. It was a good thing no one else was sharing their table. Eren had just finished drinking when she opened her mouth to ask.

 

“Eren, you had that again this morning?” she asked him quietly.

 

He responded the same as usual whenever he had that. His grip tightened around his cup and then nodded once in confirmation. “...Yeah.”

 

She placed a hand on his in silent support. Armin did the same on his other side. There was nothing they could do to stop these dreams from plaguing him. So all they could do, as childhood friends, is to make him feel that he wasn't alone. They have always been close, the three of them. Though the two met Eren at varying times, once they did, they never left his circle. It goes to show how important he is to them. The same can be said for how he feels about them.

 

Mikasa and Armin understood him like no one else. Even if all they could do was to support him quietly like this, they knew he would always feel comforted by them. The tension gradually drained out of him and the tight grip he had on his cup had loosened and he gave them both a small smile in thanks.

 

Eren has always been aware of how lost he would be without these two by his side. They would follow him everywhere, support and comfort him as best they can and give him a helping hand; even in his effort to exterminate titans despite it being what one would label a suicidal endeavor.

 

They lingered for as long as they could but the call for classes to start had them leave to attend. For a three-year training to start with academics may seem useless to others who prefer to learn combat right away. The same cannot be said of Eren and he is not alone in this thinking. The secret to fighting titans is not to charge in recklessly and just trying to cut everywhere with brute force. Therefore, learning about them is essential to be able to make a quick kill.

 

After all, he is currently on a vendetta against these oppressive beings. There’s no way he would allow himself to slack off. Many things can be said of Eren, but empty-headed isn’t one of them. His father was a renowned doctor and a learned man. He had always made sure that his son would get the proper education he needed in life. Plus, he couldn't get away from being influenced when you have a friend like Armin.

 

So he will do well in his studies on titan theory. He will do well in studying titan anatomy and behavior. He will brand into his memory the proper way to kill a titan swiftly. And he will always remember to give thanks to those whose lives were lost to gain these precious knowledge to give humanity an edge. Once the second year of training starts, all he has to do then is to put to use what he learned and apply them hands-on.

  
It really doesn't hurt to have Mikasa for a sister despite her tendencies. At least he could make use of running and exercising with her during this first year so that it wouldn't take him long to adapt to the physical part of training. It’s a pity Armin is slow in increasing his stamina to at least keep up with him. Mikasa is a monster when it comes to strength so she can’t be counted as human norm.

 


	2. It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Colossal Titan reappears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is canon divergence so I hope you won't mind us describing episode 5. But at least the difference is starting to show, right? It will start picking up from here! So please hang on tight! 
> 
> Well...I got nothing else to say xD It's my job to fill up the notes and stuff so... *shrugs* -KAT

“Offer up your hearts and left us strive to protect humanity! Congratulations for graduating, soldiers!”

The sounds of booted feet stomping close and fists hitting chests, thundered throughout the quadrangle as the new graduates made the dramatic gesture of offering their hearts. It was the ultimate salute every soldier makes to remind themselves of their duty to humanity as they continue to live enclosed by their cannibalistic tormentors.

Three years have passed since then, and the would-be new recruits have finished their three years of grueling training. Some may have left in the beginning, some right in the middle of it, but Eren never strayed from his path towards revenge.

The top ten, the strongest and most talented of the batch, stood in front proudly. Among them were Eren and Mikasa. As expected, she came in first. The training wasn’t anything to laugh about. But at the very least, Eren came through, taking the fifth rank. Armin wasn’t among the top ten simply because he lacked the stamina to balance out his excellent talents in tactics. Not even Mikasa could outrank Armin when it comes to making up strategies. It simply isn’t worth competing over.

The top ten are composed of the following:

**Mikasa Ackerman**

**Reiner Braun**

**Bertholdt Hoover**

**Annie Leonhart**

**Eren Jaeger**

**Jean Kirschtein**

**Marco Bott**

**Connie Springer**

**Sasha Braus**

**Christa Lenz**

These ten are the only ones who are given the special privilege to be able to choose to become part of the Military Police and serve directly under the king. Eren had always thought this foolish. The top ten strongest of the squadron and it is seen as a privilege to use your special skills to serve away from the front lines, only to live luxuriously doing nothing but comfort the richest and noblest members of society to relieve them of their irrational fear.

Only the ones living behind the only enclosure that blocks the titans’ progress, they should have these fears. And they should have the right to demand comfort that the soldiers’ presence provide.

Unlike Jean and Marco, who both expressed their intent early on to join the Military Police, Eren was determined to join the Scouting Legion. He, too, had expressed this intent from the very beginning, even before the Fall of Wall Maria. Mikasa had already made her wishes known. She would follow him anywhere just to keep an eye on him, to keep him alive. If she, as the top ranking trainee, would join the Military Police, she would be unable to protect him once he would be in jeopardy.

Honestly, she seems more and more like an overprotective mother rather than an adopted sister.

He tuned back in on what was occurring on the raised platform when they began enumerating the different factions of military power. He and his fellow graduates would be choosing any among the three. They would be going their separate ways soon. There is no more room for doubt.

Titans beware.

\- - - - -

Today Eren and some of his fellow squad members will be going up on cleaning duty at the top of the southern bait wall, Wall Trost. Today was also the day the Scouting Legion would leave on their expedition. Every time the Scouting Legion would set off on their expedition, the people would hope for two things to happen. One is that they would be able to drive off the titans to enable them to recover their territory. The other is that they would be able to find useful intel that would eradicate the titans from existence, thereby freeing humanity to roam the outside world.

As a trainee, so far as he knew, the last intel the Scouting Legion ever brought home with them, was the most effective way to kill a titan. That is, to cut a particular lump of flesh at the nape of their necks. The challenge is if the titan is an aberrant. He looked up and caught a glimpse of a man with short stature, causing tingles to run through his body.

Humanity’s strongest. He couldn’t wait to work under that man’s command.

Long after the Scouting Legion left the Wall, he shook himself off his stupor and went of for that last duty as a trainee. He will join the Legion, find and eliminate the titan that ate his mother, the colossal titan who started his hell, and eradicate all traces of titans from the face of the earth. Not much, really.

It will just take him awhile.

He smiled as he viewed his friends and squad-mates goofing around instead of cleaning and fixing up the cannon for ready use.

With a loud clap of thunder, a burst of hot steam erupted behind him. He turned around, expecting to see it and yet at the same time, wished it would have given him a few days more grace before he would see that ugly mug.

The Colossal Titan had appeared again. And suddenly it was like Shiganshina all over again. Eren’s blood boiled upon seeing that skinless head. Without a thought he launched into an attack, avoiding the giant hand that swept the cannons off the wall. He didn’t think of anything else. All his focus went to executing moves that would enable him to make the necessary cuts on the nape to kill his foe. He swooped in and slashed with all his might, anticipating the moment his blades would penetrate flesh.

But none of that happened. Instead, he found himself cutting through steam as the Colossal Titan literally vanished through thin air. It had mysteriously disappeared, leaving a giant mess on their hands. Titans are coming in to the city in droves, and if the pattern holds true, the Armored Titan might appear at any moment to wreck through Wall Rose.

He won’t let such a tragedy repeat. Not when he can still do something to help. He’ll kill them all until there is no titan left. It was a vow he made to himself.

\- - - - -

The expedition team were quite a few miles away, expertly dodging and dispatching titans they happen to come across when they heard it. A loud clap of thunder on a fine day, and a single spark of light that had them all turning around in time to visibly see the Colossal Titan manifest, and distance held no meaning.

Commander Erwin Smith immediately issued orders to return. The expedition will have to be put on hold. They all turned their horses and wagons around, and made haste for Wall Trost. They cannot allow the possibility of the second wall falling, turn into reality. It would be too disastrous.

“It seemed you picked a bad day to carry out the expedition, Erwin,” Lance Corporal Levi commented beside him.

He looked askance at Levi before shifting his eyes to the view ahead. “It seems that way, Levi. Let’s hope this will be the only bad thing to happen today.”

Nothing more was said after that. They could see a lot of steam where the colossal stood, and once that was cleared away, the humungous titan had disappeared. It really seemed like they were seeing the reenactment of what happened that resulted in the Fall of Wall Maria.

Already they could see titans starting to come out in droves to head for the broken gates. The Legion was blatantly ignored in favor of the pull of more prey behind the thick walls. It was eerie to ride among the titans.

“Erwin! Levi!” a voice called out to them from behind. Major Hanji Zoe pulled the reins of her horse until she was riding beside the two men. “I have an idea.”

“A fucking crazy one, I bet,” Levi muttered, giving her a swift glance that could freeze a person in place.

She retaliated by giving him a shit-eating grin. “It’s so crazy, now’s the only time it could possibly work!”

Erwin and Levi shared a look before the commander turned his attention back to his eccentric major. “Let’s hear it. We’re in a crazy situation anyway. A crazy plan might prove to be most effective.”

“You bet! Here’s the plan.” She managed to lean conspiratorially despite the jarring movements of their horses shaking them.

“Let’s kill the titans!”

\- - - - -

“Let’s kill the titans!” Eren shouted, unknowingly echoing the words of the crazy major.

He and his small team were up on a roof. Their task was to buy time for the civilians to evacuate into Wall Rose. They were the frontliners and Mikasa, being the strongest, was ordered to stay at the back to protect the civilians should any titans make it past the frontlines and the middle lines.   

Fresh out of training, and already they were in the thick of battle. Although this was a bad situation all around, Eren couldn’t help but be excited at the thought of how close he is to make his first kill. They ran over roofs, jumping and swerving in mid-air with the help of the three-dimensional maneuver gear.

Then the unthinkable happened. An aberrant shot past them like a speeding bullet, hitting a tower not far away. In its teeth was their teammate, Thomas Wagner. They haven’t even killed their first titan and already they lost a member.

Eren was filled with rage. He went off to exact revenge and suddenly he found himself crashing on turrets, roof tiles breaking under his fall. His sight was tinged with red, his vision becoming hazy. He felt like his body was unbalanced, like a weight of something was missing and at the same time, a heavier weight seemed to crush him into the tiles. Keeping his eyes open became a battle that he soon lost. And his consciousness flitted away.

In his sleep he completely missed the tragic deaths of his other team mates. All that was left was Armin, frozen in fright, unable to think in the face of such horror.

 


	3. Wins and Losses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soaring with the wings of freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I really don't have anything to say in the notes. This fic sucked all of my brain juice. For those who follow my story entitled "Checkmate", I'm sorry but it appears it would be delayed.  
> -KAT

“Let’s kill the titans!” Hanji pronounced like it was the newest thing.

 

Erwin blinked in shock and Levi was starting to simmer. Her pronouncement was loud enough, even the other squad members participating in the expedition could do nothing but gape at her. Wasn’t it already a given thing as a member of the Scouting Legion that they kill titans?

 

“I think what she means,” Moblit, Hanji’s surviving assistant cut in. “Is that we decrease the number of titans heading toward Trost while we ride through.”

 

“Exactly!” Hanji exclaimed, all sunshine and roses. Clearly being surrounded by prospective pets was playing with her mental state. Then again, that’s how she has always been. Except maybe she seems a bit more enthusiastic…

 

“We’re not taking any samples while we’re at it,” Erwin commanded, seemingly following Levi’s thought processes. Subsequently, he had just given Hanji’s crazy plan an ok.

 

She didn’t miss that hint. She then asked Moblit to pass the order. “The plan is to kill as much titans as possible while riding for Trost. Do not, under any circumstances, stray from the formation.”

 

Erwin added additional orders in a loud voice. “Each of you form a team of three. Stay close to the main body of the group and take intervals to dispatch a titan nearest to you. Deploy the black flare once you see an aberrant and avoid combat with it at all cost. Stop a few minutes for each dispatch of titan and catch up to the main body right away.”

 

“Yes, sir!” they all shouted, and Hanji’s plan was put into play.

 

\- - - - -

 

“AAAHHHHHHH”

 

Eren was jarred into wakefulness upon hearing the horrified screaming. He was forced into alertness and realized that the scream came from Armin. He could only hear Armin, and deviated from thinking why it was only him he could hear. He forced himself to stand and it was then that he discovered he lost a limb.

 

Armin was already in the hands of a titan, one that looked like a grizzly old man. There was no time to contemplate, to hesitate, even to think. It was hard and painful, but he pushed himself forward to save his best friend. Armin was already in the titans mouth, arms clawing out to freedom amid the saliva-covered tongue.

 

Eren was glad he didn’t lose his blades when he fell. He hoisted himself and stabbed through the gap of the titan’s open mouth, to keep it open. He then reached in and grabbed hold of Armin’s hand before he could be swallowed down further. He didn’t know how he could ever save his blonde friend if this had been an aberrant.

 

“EREN!” his friend had screamed as he was being swallowed. There was no way he could ignore that call.

 

“Eren!” Armin gasped in surprise.

 

With a burst of strength he pulled Armin out and to the roof. He was rapidly losing strength. He was going to need Armin’s help to get out of the titan’s mouth.

 

“Armin…” he wheezed out, left arm outstretched for his friend to take. Only a few more minutes until he, too would be safe.

 

Too bad the titan couldn’t wait that long.

 

The jaw snapped shut, sending the outstretched arm flying. Armin froze in shock, unable to accept that he wasn’t able to save his friend. Mikasa would be in agony. She would blame herself for not being there to save him, her only family. But the true blame would lie with him. Because he was there. He was there, and he failed Eren.

 

“EREEEEN!” he screamed, drawing out the name of his fallen friend.

 

\- - - - -

 

Mikasa Ackerman was the very best among her fellow trainees. Her expertise lies in cutting flesh. Maneuvering in midair was nothing to her. Killing was nothing new. A past memory rose into the surface, the time she made her first kill. The world is cruel. It was a lesson she would never ever forget. It helped her unlock the part of herself that gave her unbelievable strength. She will never waver.

 

Mikasa had dispatched an aberrant that nearly attacked the evacuating citizens. At this point their evacuation should have long since finished but a high-handed merchant caused some undesirable delays. Having solved that problem, she requested permission to head on out to the frontlines, because she was worried about her two childhood friends.

 

Her friend, her brother, her savior. She wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Eren. She would always be grateful for the love and care given to her by Dr. Jaeger and Carla, his wife. But really, it was Eren who truly saved her. She promised to protect him, always, her one existing family.

 

She spotted a titan and adjusted herself to speed up and kill it swiftly when she happened to spot Armin, arm outstretched towards the titan. Why would he do that? And where were his teammates? Where was Eren?

 

“Ar-” she opened her mouth to call him when she finally saw why Armin was seemingly trying to reach the titan. An arm was sticking out of the titan’s open mouth. She heard it then, Armin calling out Eren’s name.

_No… No, no, no, no! Not Eren… Not Eren!_

She applied gas and hurried to help Armin pull out Eren. If she killed the titan right away, its jaws might clamp shut in death and Eren would lose an arm. She couldn’t allow that to happen. He would hate her if he was somehow made to be unable to continue serving the military, the Scouting Legion to be more precise.

 

She had to hurry. She had to hur-

 

Her heart stopped beating and she nearly fell over from dread. The titan's teeth snapped close. Eren had lost an arm anyway, even though she did nothing. She… she did nothing. She will not lose Eren!

 

“AARGHH!”

 

With a war cry that overlapped Armin’s screams, she flew into rage. He may hate her for coming too late to save him from losing an arm. But he will live. She will at least make sure that he will live. And once he leaves the military, she will come with him.

 

\- - - - -

 

They made it to Wall Trost though it really is swarming with titans. More titans were coming and thankfully they were slow as they made their way. the Scouting Legion took a stand before the broken gates once they cleared it of enough titans. All they had to do was dispatch the ones coming, so as not to let a single one pass through. Erwin’s command was absolute.

 

“Levi, Hanji, you and your squad should go ahead inside and help the Garrison dispatch the titans that made it inside. Keep an eye out for the Armored titan. Mike and I will stay here and hold the fort.” Erwin then left them. It was a clear sign of dismissal.

 

“Oh, I do hope the Armored Titan appears. I would love to study it!,” Hanji enthused as Moblit collected the rest of her squad.

 

“Go capture it yourself. If you can.” Levi and his squad were already assembled. “I’ll go ahead then. I’ll try to leave a few alive for you to experiment on.”

 

“Oh, thanks! That would be great!” She waved at him as he and his squad left. Pretty soon she also went into the city. It was a quick trip since Levi left a clear path. So far there was no sign of any titan as of yet but she kept her hopes up.

  
Then she spotted the back of a blonde teenager, wearing the coat of a trainee. _Hmm… must be a fresh graduate. Congratulations on staying alive this long!_

“Sir, a titan,” Moblit called out. And sure enough there was a long-bearded one standing before the blonde trainee.

“Let’s go see if we can catch this one. Oh, I can’t wait!” Hanji, in her excitement, left Moblit and the others. She was quick to arrive in time to understand the whole situation, and was quick to dispatch the titan. Hopefully the kid hadn’t yet succumbed to the extreme heat. The unfortunate ones were always those that were swallowed whole. They would suffer from being boiled to death inside the belly of the beast that ate them.

She instantly blocked the blades that came at her out of nowhere. It was a rare Asian girl, probably friends with the one the titan just swallowed. It would have made a fine specimen, that titan.

\- - - - -

Mikasa didn’t have time to check on Armin or thank and apologize the woman that had dispatched the bearded titan before she, herself could.  She went to the ground and made an incision on the titan’s belly, careful not to possible slice Eren along with it. The stomach contents of the thing spilled out as the titan slowly disintegrated into steam. A lot of bodies and some separate parts slid out and the titan all but disappeared.

She finally saw Eren and nearly cried out. She thought he had only lost an arm. She didn’t know he had already lost a leg as well. She hugged him to her, and carefully listened for a heartbeat. There it was, slow but strong. She let herself go then, crying like a little girl while squeezing her family. Only Eren could make her feel like a little girl. Only him.

Thank God he was still alive.

\- - - - -

“Hey Armin!” Connie Springer clapped his hands on the catatonic boy’s shoulders. “Armin, are you okay?” He looked at him worriedly, and was glad to see awareness coming back into those blue eyes.

Armin sat, staring at Connie a moment before he sprung up to action. “Eren! And the titan! Mikasa screaming!” He couldn’t really string full sentences properly yet, in his blind panic. Thankfully Connie understood enough. He had arrived in time to see Mikasa, blades out and unable to stop her momentum or avoid the Scouting Legion member.

“Here, Armin,” Connie helped him up so he could point out what’s happening down below. “Eren is receiving emergency field first aid right now. Mikasa refuses to leave his side. Apparently, the Scouting Legion turned back right away and one of them came in time to save Eren soon after being swallowed. Man, he’s really lucky. Look, Armin. It’s the Wings of Freedom.”

“Thank God. Thank God,” Armin chanted over and over while sobbing. Eren was alive.

“But man, I don’t know if Eren can still stay in service. He did just lose two limbs.”

But he might as well be dead.

He was sure Eren would have preferred dying in the line of duty than living and be completely unable to reach his goal. It was the only thing that kept him moving, kept him living day by day.

“Come on, Armin. Let’s go down there. We better keep an eye out for any titans,” Connie urged. It was then that he realized that Connie wasn’t alone. His team was with him. There were other adults bearing the coat of arms of the Scouting Legion.

He nodded and followed his fellow trainees down. No matter what Eren thinks, Armin will always be thankful that he’s still alive and breathing.

\- - - - -

“There you go!” Hanji patted the last of the bandages she had to wrap around the wounds as an emergency first aid measure. “This will have to do until we get you to the hospital.”

Eren was still unconscious but Hanji talked to him all the same.

“Uh… Thank… you,” Mikasa mumbled shyly, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. After all, in her haste to kill the titan, though she never got to kill it, she almost sliced this person apart.

“You’re very welcome!” Hanji smiled truthfully.

“Squad Leader, we have to keep moving, sir.” Moblit reminded her of their standing mission.

“Oh, that’s right,” she acted as if she only remembered it. Coming from her, it was a big possibility. “We have to go and clean up this district. You trainees better get back and see that this boy… Uh, what’s his name?”

“Eren Jaeger, sir.” Armin replied. “He wanted to join the Scouting Legion…”

For a moment a look of pity crossed the squad leader’s face. “I see. He would have been a wonderful addition to the legion.”

Mikasa bristled at that, though she knew there was no way Eren could continue as he is now.

“Your priority is to help him survive through his major injuries.” Just then, the bell calling for a retreat rang. “Ah, there, you see? You kids all go ahead while the experts watch your back.”

The trainees had no choice in the matter. Technically it was an order given by a person with rank. Since Eren was incapacitated, one of them had to carry him. Of course Mikasa would like to do it but they needed her expertise more. So, though Jean disliked Eren with a passion, he volunteered to carry him while the others were made to look out in case a titan appears.

Hanji saw them off with a wave before turning back, looking determined all of a sudden.

“All right, Moblit. Let’s catch us some titans!”

\- - - - -

As it turns out, Hanji wasn’t able to catch any titans during that time. Erwin had soon issued an order to retreat and regroup. It was spread that Commander Dot Pixis had taken center command.

After the Fall of Wall Maria, the military had devised a plan should the event occur again. Though the difference is that the Armored Titan never showed. It was just as well. It would make recapturing Trost District much easier. However, it would take a lot of manpower and  these people would be the key to success.

A large boulder was made ready to temporarily cover the hole to stop any more influx of titans into the district. It would be large enough and heavy enough that the titans wouldn’t be able to push it. They had to displace a lot of houses to get this piece of hard earth. It took many years to carve it out of the few existing hills within the district. They had it placed on a stable, flat surface and tied it securely. The wheels underneath the flat surface would enable them to transport the huge boulder to the wrecked gates. With a few clever hits to vital spots of the flat surface and specific wheels broken, the boulder would conveniently use its weight to crush it, wheels and all, while covering the opening.

The problem was that they still couldn’t figure out how to draw the titans away from those chosen to push the boulder into place. It was what Commander Erwin and Commander Pixis were discussing. At the time, Armin was near enough to hear their dilemma. Picking up his courage, he decided to present an idea.

“Um, excuse me. May I make a suggestion?”

His question was received with silence and he began to fidget while still waiting for the go-ahead. Then Dot Pixis nodded slowly. The highest ranking administrator of the southern region was always known to be an eccentric man.

“Well, why not? At this point, so long as we can get a good plan out of it, then go ahead. You don’t mind, do you, Erwin?”

“No, no. We need all the help we can get. Tell us…”

“Armin Arlert, sir!”

“Very well, Armin Arlert. What do you suggest?”

Armin gulped. uncomfortable with suddenly being in the spotlight. “Well, the titans would inherently gather where there are the most humans.” The two commanders nodded in agreement.

“So, if what you need is to draw the titans away, then all we have to do is bait them into gathering somewhere else. We could have many military personnel gather over there,” he pointed to the right. “Right on top of the wall. We just make sure to stay out of reach and we must number at least three times more than the number of people you will send to push the boulder.”

Erwin and Pixis contemplated this suggestion in silence before nodding thoughtfully. “Excellent suggestion, Armin Arlert. Why don’t we do just that?” Pixis smiled happily.

\- - - - -

The plan was then put into place. Members of the Garrison were chosen to push the boulder into place. Coming with them were Levi’s squad, a few more strong recruits including Mikasa, and Levi himself, to safeguard them especially once they arrive at the opening of the wall. Armin and most of his fellow trainees among the many military personnel, whether from Garrison or the Scouting Legion assembled at the indicated part of the wall.

It was slow work, and it took hours to complete, but the mission was a successful one at the end of the day. Many more deaths had occurred during that time. But mankind had just received their first victory against the titans.

And Hanji got her wish, two titans she had named Sonny and Bean.

Where was Eren then?

He was busy fighting his own battle. He had to overcome his fevered body. If he could not, he would not survive the night. It was a tough battle. Eventually he won this silent battle. The very next day, he woke up and he somehow knew the end for him was near. He may be alive, but all the work he put up with will have been made in vain. He will be unable to fulfill his vows. He still didn’t know how he managed to live. The last he could remember was the floating sensation and slow boil his body had experienced within the titan’s stomach.

Someone else had been alive in there with him. But that person died soon enough. So then, how did he survive?

What now?

What...now?

…

**  
Is it all over?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Axa: My little sis hates me now... XDD
> 
> Yes. I hate you so much. Anyway, Axa will be handling the notes for the following crack chapters and on wards. Because DAMN I can't handle it anymore. Look forward(I hope you are) to the next crack chapter!  
> -KAT


	4. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting his savior instead of his maker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The spaces ticked me off so I edited it. Cause it's such a waste! This is where the plot starts picking up. So I sure hope that there are some people who didn't give up on this fic! I must also apologize for my crack chapters cause it's so out of place, but if I have to explain myself again, it's to buy my sister enough time to finish the next chapter.
> 
> -KAT

_Is it over?_

“Eren!” Mikasa burst through the door and was followed by a calm, but equally worried Armin.

“Good morning, Eren.”

“Yeah…” Eren was truly happy to see his friends. Because of that, he tried to smile for them. But judging by the look in their eyes, he wasn’t so successful.

Mikasa and Armin could see how much it pained him to smile. It was understandable considering the cards fate had dealt him.

“We brought you apples. I’ll go borrow a knife from the medics,” Mikasa flustered, leaving them both alone to stare at each other in silence.

“... I need to apologize to you, Eren.” Armin couldn’t take the silence any longer. His heart was full of guilt. For being useless. For being a coward. For being one of the things responsible to end his dreams.

The green-eyed boy looked to the window. He felt too empty. He would have thought that he would be filled with righteous anger, that he would lash out at Armin because he knew.. he knew what had kept him going all these years. Because he always thought that being alive with your friends wasn’t enough. Exterminating titans was always on his mind.

Now, with the threat of being discharged from military service before he even truly began, looming over him, he found that it just isn’t worth it to scream and cry and basically throw a fit like a child. He was already fifteen years old and in this world, that means you’re pretty much an adult.

“What happened?” Eren asked quietly upon realizing that he had made his blonde friend uncomfortable with his silence. Sometimes he forgets that Armin is actually younger than him.

He patted the space beside him gently, with his one remaining hand and the younger one gingerly obeyed. He then proceeded to tell him the events that transpired yesterday, from the time Eren saved him from being eaten, to the event that led them to reclaiming the Trost district. At some point in the telling, Mikasa came in bearing the knife and began cutting and feeding the three of them some apple slices.

Eren could still feel the emptiness within him. But hearing Armin talk, spending time with the two most important people to him, had enabled him to slowly accept what life has given to him.

_I guess this is what you call maturing, huh?_

\- - - - -

A knock sounded, followed by a cheery voice and only Armin and Mikasa seemed to have recognized who it is that dropped by for a visit.

“Who’s that?” Eren asked curiously.

“It’s Major Hanji Zoe, the one I told you about earlier,” Armin promptly replied. He had to admit that he was also curious as to the purpose of this visit. Surely it can’t be only because she had happened to have saved Eren’s life.

“I wonder what she’s doing here?” Mikasa murmured even as she went to open the door and let the new visitor in.

Eren couldn’t help but feel very excited. Of course, he had to thank the squad leader for saving him. But to him, the prospect of actually conversing with a person belonging to the Scouting Legion was like a dream come true. Now if only it were another squad leader…

“Good morning everyone!” Hanji breezed in with an armful of books. Moblit also came with her and he was the one carrying a small bouquet of flowers. “I’ll get a vase,” Armin volunteered immediately upon seeing the flowers.

“I’ll come with you,” Moblit volunteered as well, and went out with Armin to begin their search.

“What brings you here, sir?” Eren asked politely.

“Where do you want these books?” Hanji blatantly ignored his question first.

“Uh, at the foot of the bed, I guess,” Eren answered, feeling out of sorts due to this squad leader’s behavior. It wasn’t like what he had imagined.

“Great!” She put down the books and took the seat by his bed. “Now, to answer your question, I find you interesting, Eren. Because of that, I wanted to meet you, as you are conscious this time.”

“Yes… I heard from Armin. Thank you for saving my life, sir!” He bowed his head sincerely and looked up when he heard chuckling.

“It was nothing. I must say, even if I wasn’t around,  your friend, Trainee Ackerman here was already going in for the kill,” she pointed out. Mikasa looked away in embarrassment. “I just happened to have struck first.”

Just then, Armin and Moblit came back with the needed vase, with water already in it. Now they were settling to put in the flowers and arrange them properly.

“Oh… I just noticed but, how come Eren is occupying a private room?” Armin suddenly thought out loud.

_Come to think of it…_

“Well, because I arranged for it,” Hanji answered nonchalantly as she fumbled through a book before handing it to Eren. “Here, have a read. These are mostly books that were handed to me as gifts. I’m sure staying here for days will be very boring with nothing to do.”

Eren looked at the book in question and was startled to see that it was a book on wood carving. What the squad leader would do with this kind of book, he could never even begin to imagine.

As if hearing his thoughts, Hanji explained without prompting. “That book was a gag gift from one of my friends. He’s a professional… wood carver. He is especially talented in another area altogether. Maybe he’ll tell you, if you get to meet him. What he likes to do in his free time is to make puppets. He would put up a play on the streets for the children. It’s like spreading a little happiness, I would think.” She fell silent afterwards, looking contemplative all of a sudden.

Moblit watched her silently, as if it were nothing unusual, which, perhaps it wasn’t. But one could see that he worries. It made the three trainees wonder if there was something more to their superior-subordinate relationship than they let on. It really wasn’t any of their business though.

Suddenly Hanji seemed to have snapped out of whatever it was that held her silent, and gave them a big grin. “Well, enough about that. Putting Eren aside, don’t you two have duties in helping out identify the deceased and cleaning up the city of rotting bodies? It would be really bad if an epidemic runs rampant.”

Mikasa and Armin looked at Eren in apology, and he merely waved off their concern. “Go, you two! Don’t shirk on your duties because of me. It’s not like I’ll be leaving anytime soon. Besides, I won’t be alone.. Or am I presuming too much, Major? I might be keeping you from something important,” Eren asked worriedly. He didn’t like the thought of causing trouble for a ranked officer, especially the one to whom he owed his life.

“Hmm~” the major hummed as she rocked in her chair. “Not particularly. I have assigned some of my subordinates to conduct tests on my two new pets. They’re named Sonny and Bean, and they’re the cutest thing, really…”

She began to natter off and the three teenagers were beginning to feel dizzy with all the meaningless chatter. It was like a balm when Moblit stepped in to explain. “She meant the two titans we managed to capture alive. The Squad Leader has been known for her extreme fondness of titans. She would go to the point of inflicting heavy torture to test him.”

“Oh…” the three said, though the thought of keeping titans as pets was weird enough, but regarding torture as a sign of love was extremely creepy.

“Well, Eren. We better get going. We’ll try to drop in later, as soon as we’re released from our duties.”

“Make sure you rest as much as you can, Eren,” Mikasa stated and Eren sighed but gave them both a smile.

“Yeah, yeah. Just go already!” The two left, carrying with them the image of Eren’s sad smile as he made them leave. He was trying his hardest, they knew. But for him who has always been rather vocal with his emotions since young, the two of them wondered when he would crack. It would be rather bad if he wouldn’t let all his pent-up feelings out.

 

\- - - - -

 

“Hey, Armin! We were starting to wonder when you guys would show,” Connie greeted them when he spotted them, causing their other fellow trainee squad members to stop what they were doing to observe.

They all heard what happened to Eren. Heck, some of them saw the aftermath. But none of them could possibly know what their green-eyed friend must be feeling now. They could only guess at it.

“How’s Eren?” Christa asked, every the worrier. The same question ran through all their minds but only she could ask it without discomfort. She was quite genuine with her concern after all.

“He’s fine,” Mikasa answered and pointedly began clearing up debris. The others took the hint and resumed working.

“It was rocky late yesterday though. He had an extremely high fever and the medic told me earlier that if his fever hadn’t broken, he would have died in a coma days later,” Armin said in more detail.

That shocked everyone, except Sasha. “What’s a coma?”

“It’s when a heavily injured person that lost consciousness and hadn’t regained it for a very long  time until the body just… dies,” Marco answered.

“Oh…”

Mikasa pushed herself into working with more effort upon hearing the freckled one explain the one thing that could have happened to her brother. She couldn’t bear the thought of such a thing to happen and was glad that he was awake and recovering.

“That’s so sad. But at least he didn’t die of shock,” Sasha continued. “There was this one man where I came from, who had a bad encounter while hunting. The animal had bitten him and nearly tore off his leg.”

They shuddered at her description, wondering what type of animal could do such a thing. “He had bled out a lot by the time we found him. He was delirious and was really cold to the touch. He died soon after. The adults said he died from shock.”

“That’s terrible” Christa cried.

“Why would they bring along a kid in the first place?” Ymir asked.

Sasha huffed. “I am an excellent hunter and we were out hunting at the time!”

“Well, can we please get back on topic?” Marco asked, smiling disconcertedly. “At least Eren is awake and on the road to recovery.”

“What kind of living is that? He should have died, if you ask me,” Jean spoke up, not looking at any of them as he filled up a cart with more debris. He suddenly found himself forcefully turned and then Reiner was practically pushing their faces close together.

“What did you say?” the tall, blonde man asked angrily. Armin and Bertholdt were keeping Mikasa restrained. She looked murderous and they had no doubt she would try to kill Kirschtein for that careless comment.

“I said, he should have just died!” Jean answered angrily, trying to pry Reiner’s grip on his shirt.

“Why you little shit!” He pulled an arm back and was preparing to punch the horse-face.

“What’s so bad about what I said? If I were in his place, I would also wish I had died. Did you forget what he’s like? He was always stupidly passionate, kept going on and on about how he’d join the Scouting Legion and killing all the titans. Well how the heck can he do that now? Forget joining the legion, they’ll probably kick him out of the military!”

Mikasa seemed to deflate as Jean spouted off the horribly true words. She fell to her knees, suddenly looking lost and forlorn. He was right. That’s how Eren was. What Jean was saying wasn’t wrong.

“....He’s right…” Mikasa whispered in the silence that was broken only by Jean’s harsh breathing after he had said his piece. She covered her face with her hands, a picture of despair as she repeatedly whispered the words.

Christa was in tears as she clung to Ymir who also had a tight grip on the Madonna’s shoulder. Reiner pushed Jean away in disgust and went to stand beside his taller friend. Armin was trying to calm Mikasa down but words can’t seem to reach her.

Jean was helped up by his best friend and follower. He didn’t want to be the bad guy here. He may not like the guy but he sure as hell knew what kind of thoughts would run in his rival’s head. “Let’s clean up somewhere else, Marco.”

He walked off. And Marco dutifully went with him, though not without sending a look of apology to Armin. The blonde gave a sad smile and nodded, accepting the conveyed apology.

The silence in their wake was too palpable. Mikasa’s broken whispers rang on and on like a chant. No one else could say a thing.

 

\- - - - -

 

After Mikasa and Armin left, Eren looked at the female major and once again thanked her. “Thank you for taking care of me like this. Though, it seems to me that you are only wasting your hard-earned money for my sake. I honestly can’t see the value in helping me so much like this.”

“Nonsense,” Hanji merely laughed it off. “Didn’t I say you are an interesting subject to me? I have never before met a person, especially one as injured as you are, managing to live through being swallowed by a titan, and live long enough to be rescued. Many who were lucky enough to be swallowed alive, do not last through being literally boiled alive within a titan’s stomach.”

And immediately a memory came to mind. He had not been the only one alive inside the titan. Someone else had been there, calling for their mother. He remembered, because hearing their yearning sound awakened a similar yearning within him. The last time he saw his mother alive, she was within a titan’s grasp. He could still hear it, the sound of the titan snapping his mother’s body echoed inside his head. And the shower of blood that sprayed afterwards when it bit her.

“Eren?"

Eren was brought back into reality and realized he had zoned off. “Are you all right? You suddenly got a bit quiet there.”

“Ah, no. I just remembered, when I was inside the titan, someone else was also inside it. That person was still alive. Was that person saved as well?”

“Oh,” Hanji’s brow furrowed. “Well, you were unconscious during that time. We were too late to save her. If I had been a few seconds later in killing the titan, you would have probably been boiled to death already.”

Eren wasn’t really that surprised to hear it. Who knows how long that person had been in there when Eren was also swallowed down. His eyes fell on the book on his lap and his curiosity got the better of him.

“Um, Major Hanji-”

“Really, just Hanji is fine,” she inserted.

“I can’t do that!” he exclaimed.

“Then call me however you’re comfortable with. Just don’t address me with my rank.”

“Oh… Then, Ms. Hanji?”

“My, that works just fine. No one has ever called me that way before,” Hanji smiled, pleased with the result.

“With all due respect, Squad Leader,” Moblit interjected. “Most people would probably have been unsure of your gender, and so address you by rank instead.”

Eren and Hanji both looked at him blankly. “What are you talking about, Moblit? I am clearly a woman. Right, Eren?” to which, the boy nodded in agreement.

Hanji turned back to Eren, dismissing her assistant for the moment. “So Eren, what were you going to say?”

Eren blushed because he almost forgot about it, with the conversation running away from him, and all. “Uh, that’s right. Ms. Hanji, thank you for the books.”

“Oh, that. You are a really polite boy, aren’t you?” Then her eyes widened as if something only just occurred to her. “Wait, you can read, can’t you? You’re fine with difficult words? I could bring you a dictionary, if you would like. Or maybe picture books, though those are pretty rare…”

It was Eren’s turn to chuckle now. “It’s fine. My childhood wasn’t entirely without education. My father was a doctor. His books were a lot more complicated, I think. I’m sure I can do well with these books.”

Hanji looked startled. “Well, that’s a relief. Your father was a doctor, you say? What kind? Was he with the military?”

“Oh, no. My father wasn’t with the military, as far as I know. He took care of the civilians because there really wasn’t enough medical attention paid to civilians. Most would go work for the military, no offense, Ms. Hanji.”

“None taken! Interesting…”

“Ah…” Eren really didn’t think there was anything interesting about himself. If anything, Mikasa or Armin would be more interesting a subject. He views himself as someone better than an average person but there was nothing extraordinary about him.

“So, Eren, where are you from? Why did you join the military? Your blonde friend told me you had wanted to join the Scouting Legion. That is rare. I heard you are among the top ten trainees this year.”

She was practically out to drain him of any information. It probably has something to do with her curiosity as a scientist. He struggled to remember all her questions and answered accordingly.

“I was from Shiganshina District. Uh, Ms. Hanji, do I have to answer that question?” It was painful enough, dredging out the past.

“Hmmm?”

Eren sighed, deciding to give up. There was no way he could get out of answering that question. “I… I wanted to exterminate the titans. I wanted to exterminate them until nothing was left. I still feel that way but I guess it’s impossible now.” Eren had this deadly glint in his eyes as he said it. But it was dulled, brought on by the thought of impossibility. Hopelessness was already dragging him down.

If he isn’t careful, he may be swallowed up by this darkness. Then he would truly be hopeless.

 

\- - - - -

 

Mikasa, Armin and the others managed to finish up work in complete silence. The silence kept up until Connie couldn’t take it anymore.

“Argh! I can’t take this anymore! Why don’t we just visit Eren later? All of us. Eren shouldn’t be left to feel alone and abandoned. We are all friends, aren’t we?”

His words were met with silence. It was true, what he said. But it came as a surprise to all of them that such words of wisdom came from Connie, himself.

“He’s right!” Christa exclaimed happily.

“Let’s bring him some food! He’ll share some with us, won’t he?” Sasha hopes he would. Working so much had made her hungry.

“Where could we even get food? We’re still having food shortages, in case you have forgotten,” Armin pointed out. But honestly, he was happy for his friends’ thoughtfulness.

Mikasa looked to and fro, eyes beginning to shine. She was very glad that so many genuinely care for Eren.

“So what do you think, Mikasa?” Reiner asked her finally. She nodded, hiding her eyes from them all. However no one could mistake the smile she produced.

“Yeah… Let’s go to Eren.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fact that Marco's alive makes me so happy oh my god! Finally it's picking up cause wow, we don't have much readers do we? xD -KAT


	5. Foreseen Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Axa: Sorry it took me so long to write. This is what happens when you are suddenly swamped, your brain overworked to the point you have no idea what to type in the next chapter! 
> 
> ...
> 
> I did not mean to rant.

Hanji came back looking so fucking happy, delighted, really. It really pissed Levi off. So he did the only thing he could think of to vindicate himself. He threw an empty bucket at her head. It hit her on the mark, and made her topple over. He saw her current assistant fuss over her like a mother hen. He was amazed that guy survived Hanji’s craziness, to date.

He walked out of the room he was in and down the stairs. He walked down a corridor until he reached a door that would lead him outside, to the courtyard. There was Hanji, already sitting up, rubbing her head.

_Tch! I didn’t throw it hard enough._

“Ah, Levi! I’m assuming this belongs to you?” Hanji greeted him as she held out the bucket he launched at her upon her arrival. “That hurt, you know. Why did you do that?”

Levi looked away, folding his arms across his chest. “... I thought I saw something suspicious.” It was true. Hanji coming back, skipping like she was, makes it really suspicious as to the cause of such happiness. The only reason he could think of was because she had spent time with her… pets.

That was unlikely, however. She left the two titans to her squad’s care and only returned just now. What could have possibly made her as happy as spending her day with her pets? It really doesn’t sound safe.

“Hey, Levi. Have you seen Erwin?” Hanji interrupted his thoughts and practically invaded his personal space.

“He’s probably in his office,” he answered after pushing her face away, harshly. Now he has to go clean up again. “If you want to bother his work, at least call him out for dinner. I’ll go wash up.” He wiped his hand with his clean, white handkerchief as he walked back inside.

“Okay! Thanks, Levi!” Hanji called out before going off to do as she was told. She was practically brimming with happiness.

 

\- - - - -

 

Eren was reading peacefully ever since Squad Leader Hanji and her assistant, Moblit Berner left. It took him a while to get used to holding the book open and changing pages. He had to force himself to learn quickly, however because this is something he will live with from now on.

At first, reading the book had been a way of showing appreciation for the concern a higher ranking officer gave him. He had to acknowledge that he really would have been caught between boredom and self-pity. Most probably the latter if Mikasa and Armin hadn't come when they did.

Pretty soon he found himself engrossed in the complexities and simplicities of the book. He found himself contemplating a few ideas but those were mere dallying thoughts. His ideas would be too complex for him to give them life anyway. Even so, he couldn't help but be more and more engrossed in reading. He didn't even mind the bland taste of gruel a volunteer medic had delivered him.

Thank the gods his friends brought him apples earlier.

And that's how he whiled away the hours. If nothing else, reading kept his mind from wandering to his friends and soon-to-be ex-trainee squad fellows, and what they're doing currently.

Eren never would have realized it was already late in the afternoon had he not had some surprise visitors.

A knock came followed by Armin's cheerful voice, announcing his arrival. He looked up in surprise seeing the view outside the window after some hours had passed. He was shocked to see that it was already around an hour before the sun would set.

Armin didn't wait for his welcome and just opened the door. It reminded him that his friends came again to visit him. They must be done with their duties for the day. He could barely contain his excitement at the thought of sharing with them the new knowledge he gained from the book.

All that was forgotten in an instant, however. As he expected, Armin and Mikasa had come for another visit. He didn't expect the company that tagged along.

Predictably he stiffened at the sight. Even Jean the horseface came to visit with the others, for the love of titans! He didn’t mind Marco so much but Jean seemed to always try his best in baiting him. Way to kick a downed horse.

“Good afternoon, Eren,” Armin greeted him as he leaned his hip beside the bed. Mikasa said nothing as she made herself a place on the other side of him.

“Hey, there!” Ymir smirked as she shadowed Christa, who daintily sat on the only chair.

“Good afternoon, Eren,” the blonde woman greeted sweetly, it seemed like she was shining… to everyone else. Eren just can’t see it.

“Uh… yeah.” he replied awkwardly, his body tense as he waited for Jean to insult him.

“How are you holding up?” Reiner asked as he, Bertholdt, and Annie found themselves a vacant wall to lean back on.

No matter that this was a private room, temporarily used to house the injured. It must be pretty inconvenient for the house owner. But this room is just too small to properly accommodate his friends… and some unwanted acquaintances.

“I’m holding up,” Eren muttered, seeming to relax a bit when no word came from the horseface yet. Of course expecting him to remain quiet for the whole duration of the visit was just asking for too much.

Jean snorted and looked away, as if Eren was too pathetic to look at. The brunette was very aware how pathetic he looked but the jerk didn't have to blatantly shove it to his face.

“Pathetic. You’re going to get kicked out of the military anyway. But you really are pathetic to just give up so easily. I should have been ranked higher than you.”

Eren’s anger rose quickly and was about to lash out when the meaning behind the words registered to him. That…. that sounded like Jean was… but  there’s no way. He’s a self-serving jerk-off! He couldn't have just….

“Did you just try to comfort me?” he blurted out, face shocked beyond belief.

The rude one glared although an unmistakable blush suffused his cheeks, creeping up to his ears. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked away, still glaring.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why the hell would I do something like that? Don’t be ridiculous!”

Connie and Sasha were clutching their stomachs at this point, as they laughed. “O-Oi!” the short teen spluttered, wheezing as he tries to get air into his lungs. “Don’t forget to leave your get-well gift!”

Jean, who was about to storm out the room, stopped abruptly with his back turned to them all. Marco smiled apologetically but said nothing. Jean turned and shoved the mentioned present at Connie before turning his back to them all once again.

“A-a-anyway… Just get better already so I can laugh at you when you come to collect your stuff and leave as a civilian!” he yelled before dragging Marco with him on his way out.

“Bye, everyone! Get better soon, Eren!” Marco cheerfully bid his farewell. The silence they left behind seemed to be a whole lot lighter than it was before.

The cowardly, egotistic, horseface was really useful as comic relief. Sasha’s weird quirks when it comes to her food escapades only left you feeling creeped out and resigned. And Connie… well… He’s Connie. That about sums it up.

“We-well…” Armin decided to break the silence which was beginning to seem awkward in a non-uptight way. “Why don’t you see what Jean gave you, Eren?” he suggested.

Connie went over to hand the green-eyed young man the paper bag. “Actually, it’s from all of us. We pooled our savings to get you these,” Christa volunteered the information.

 _Well, if that’s the case_ … Eren thought, and was less reluctant to take it from Connie now that he knew it wasn't just from Jean, and probably Marco, alone. The smell of delicious food wafted up his nose when he put the package on his lap, and his stomach chose that moment to respond. He suddenly remembered that he had been reading for hours and that the only food he had eaten since Mikasa’s sliced apples, was the gruel - unpalatable and thoroughly unsatisfying.

Did he have to say it? It was horribly bland.

“Well, it seems that Sasha’s suggestion was right, this time around!” Reiner grinned.

“You guys got me food? But this is too much! It must have cost you a lot. Did you remember to bargain for them?” Eren was blabbing but he was staring hungrily at the bulging package on his lap.

“Mikasa and Annie were very helpful. They were amazing! Some of the vendors actually gave us food for free!” Bertholdt, who had remained silent up till now, spoke up.

Eren could almost picture it. Mikasa and Annie glaring at the poor vendors and eateries. Those poor civilians… If he were one of the vendors, he would have ran screaming.

A particularly loud growl filled the air, making Eren blink in confusion. Looking up, his eyes landed on Sasha who was practically salivating, red-faced and panting. Normally that expression would be seen as creepy but they had already gotten used to her, gluttony and all.

“Well, since you guys brought a lot, we should all eat them together.”

“That was the point! Nothing like eating a meal together!” Connie exclaimed.

Eren gave the paper bag to Christa for her to distribute the food. He had already taken his share and was savouring every bite. The bread was still fresh from the oven, the cheese was very delicious and the sliced hams had been smoked well. Now all that’s lacking was…

“I’ll go ask for some water,” Christa volunteered, yet again the epitome of goodness.

Munching a lot slower this time, he looked out the window at the setting sun. Sadness tinged his heart as he wished, unreasonably so, for this memorable moment to last forever.

 

\- - - - -

 

A few hours before…

“What, do you really plan on visiting that invalid?” Jean’s snide voice dampened their anticipation significantly.

“So what?” Connie asked angrily, confronting Jean without missing a beat.

Marco stepped forward, palms up and waving them. “No, no. Jean, please don’t act like this. What about the thing we talked about earlier?” he looked back at his friend pleadingly.

“...” Jean looked away and they all gaped at him when they saw a tiny blush bloom over his cheeks.

“Aggghhh,” Jean grumbled. “Fine! If that idiot is too dumb to actually need help from getting depressed, then I just have to be  there and taunt him out of it, right?”

Marco smiled at him proudly. And for a moment, none of them could say a thing. It was a surprise that they suddenly worried if it means the world was about to end tomorrow.

“Got a problem with that?” Jean asked, becoming confrontational when his words were merely greeted with silence.

“No…” it was Armin who spoke, the beginnings of a smile springing on his lips. “Taunting him out of any thoughts of depression. I should have expected that from someone like you, Jean. Thanks.”

“Someone like me…?” he spluttered, unsure how to take that comment.

“Let’s go buy the food!” Christa shouted happily. And suddenly the atmosphere that was charged earlier, softened as they babbled excitedly.

“I vote Annie and Mikasa for haggling for discounts!” Ymir crowed.

“Great idea.” Reiner chuckled at the thought of Annie glaring her way to get free food. Poor vendors.

 

\- - - - -

 

“I visited that interesting boy I had saved the day before, today,” Hanji squealed in happiness as soon as everyone was seated for dinner.

Erwin paused in the middle of bringing up his spoon to his mouth, and glanced uncertainly at her. Levi stopped in the middle of taking a sip of his black tea and merely quirked an eyebrow at her. Actually they were all gaping at her, save for Mike who had no problem ignoring her words and just kept right on eating.

“...The boy who you saved by chance and is now providing for his care?” Erwin sighed and put the spoon in his mouth, carefully chewing and swallowing before he talked again.

“What is about this boy that would make you go above and beyond to see to his comfort?”

Hanji grinned after setting down her cup. She was already done eating and no one seems to be able to remember seeing her chew her food. “I just said why, didn’t I? He is an interesting boy. He would have been an interesting addition to the Scouting Legion.”

At Erwin’s confused frown, Moblit answered. “The boy’s friends had said of his intent to join the Scouting Legion.”

“A fool,” Levi muttered and Auruo snickered, making Petra jam her elbows into his side. He bit his tongue in mid-snicker because of it.

“Maybe so,” Hanji remained smiling. “But he didn’t have to. Eren Jaeger was ranked fifth of the top ten trainees. Someone like that wanting to, no, willingly choosing to join the legion, is already a point of interest, am I right?”

“Then he’s even more foolish than the cowards that we end up with,” Levi continued unrelentingly.

“Or he’s motivated,” Mike added his own two cents all of a sudden.

“That’s not what mainly interested me to him though, Commander.”

“If you mean, the fact that he lost two of his limbs and that he supposedly survived being in the belly of a titan long enough to be rescued, I already know these facts, Hanji.” She nodded eagerly.

“Only because she kept repeating it over and over yesterday night.”

“Wouldn't it be amazing to observe him?” Hanji cooed dreamily, beginning to sink into her own world.

“Not for long. With an incomplete set of limbs, he’s useless to the military,” Levi pointed out, sipping his tea calmly as Petra began tidying up the dining table.

Moblit couldn't hold back his sigh at the fact. “He really would have been helpful to the legion. Losing his limbs to save his friend…”

Hanji pouted, though on the inside she too, was saddened by the hand fate had dealt the boy. “You are all so negative. I’ll visit him tomorrow afternoon, maybe. I have to check on Sawney and Bean in the morning, see how they respond and all.” And just like that, tiny hearts seemed to float out from her as she thought of her “pet” titans.

 To their surprise though, Hanji didn’t immediately launch into her obsessive monologue about her experimentation with titans. She had actually snapped herself out of it and the words that left her mouth left them stunned beyond belief.

“I better get Eren a blank notebook. And some pencils. A few sheaf of unlined paper bound together, he might like that, too. I guess I can’t bring him more books until he finishes with the current one…” That was the content of her monologue as she walked away, most probably back to her room. She had sounded wistful…

“That kid must be special,” Gunther Schultz commented.

“Though to become the focus of her attention? That’s just terrifying,” Erd spoke up, shivering in fear.

“But it kinda makes you want to meet the boy, huh?” Petra asked and they all nodded in agreement.

Levi had remained silent up until that point before reminding them of his presence in the room. “...Get back to work.”

“Sir!” they blanched and saluted. It was a good thing Erwin and Mike had already left.

 

\- - - - -

 

It was the next day. So far, the morning has been quiet. Visitors weren’t coming and Eren suspected that his friends have been assigned yet more duties for the day. Armin and the others had said that tonight they would be burning their dead. Thinking of all the deaths on their side brought a sharp pang to his heart.

Mina Carolina. Thomas Wagner. Mylius Zeramuski. Nac Tius.

He had been responsible for their lives. And he had failed to protect them. If nothing else, at least Armin’s name was not included on the list. The middle guard would see a lot of action. He remembered being excited at the opportunity of exterminating titans. He had been so foolish. And his foolishness cost him the lives of his friends.

Jean was right. He was pathetic.

But there’s no use on dwelling on it any further. Because even right now, as he reads peacefully, he awaits the delivery that will seal his fate. He could practically hear the heavy tolls of the bells that is his judgement. Why won’t they send it sooner? At least he’d be freed from this suffocating waiting game.

It is not to be. Fate continues its mischievous play. So he will keep waiting.

 

\- - - - -

 

They were mucking out stalls when Jean unceremoniously dropped his shovel, crossed his arms, face fixed in a scowl, and leaned on the side of the stall he should be laboriously cleaning.

“Does Eren know?” he asked the others once he got their attention.

Armin refused to look at him and pretended to be occupied in the cleaning. “Know what?” he asked though he very well knew what Jean was asking about.

“Tsk!” Jean slammed a fist to the side, at the stall’s sides. “Don’t play dumb, Armin. Did you tell him?”

The blonde tightened his lips and stopped all pretense of cleaning. “...No. We only told him that the dead will be burned tonight. It would be more cruel to tell him more.”

“...I don’t like this,” Reiner muttered, burrowing the tip of the shovel on the ground as he leaned his weight on it.

“Where do you plan to join, Mikasa?” Marco directed the question to her. The others won’t admit it but they were also curious.

Of course they assumed that Mikasa would leave the service and go with Eren to take care of him. And Armin would be seen as too weak to be kept into service but he was at least an able-bodied soldier they could use. He may have better uses as a tactician, especially since he managed to impress both Commander Erwin of the Survey Corps and Commander Dot Pixis during the retaking of wall Sina.

Mikasa frowned as she looked up to the sky before she glanced at them and answered. “...I will join the Scouting Legion.”

“Mikasa…?” Even Armin was surprised.

“I will join, in Eren’s place. And I will take on his mission. What about you, Armin?”

Armin was startled but at the same time he wanted to hit himself for missing the obvious. He started to smile, eyes on the ground. “I…”

 

\- - - - -

 

Eren’s hand shook, fingers crumpling the letter he was holding in his hand. He knew this was coming no matter how much he dreaded it. But it had always felt distant to him. Now it’s different. Now it feels more real, and so is the pain that came with it, like sharp glass piercing his skin.

The tears were slow to come. But come, it did. It feels a lot more lonely to endure this alone.

Now it’s really over. The guilt overtook him all of a sudden. Because for some inexplicable reason he felt a relief, like he had been released from a burden.

Tiredness overcame his muscles, his limbs. His only arm flopped down on the bed and the letter he was holding fluttered to the floor. His head fell back on the pillow and his eyelids grew heavy. The book he had temporarily settled on his lap, slid down the sheets and fell to the floor, right on top of the letter.

  
He struggled to stay awake when the book made a thump as it hit the floor. Ms. Hanji only lent him that book. He must take care of it. But really, after all the emotional upheaval his body went through for the past few days, it finally wanted to shut down. Eren struggled valiantly but soon enough he gave way to sleep. The last sound he heard was of the breeze as it blew in gently through the open window.

_Will Mikasa and Armin come in later today? Will the others?_

_… When is Mom coming home? Mom…_

 

\- - - - -

 

Hanji giddily burst through the patient’s door. She had fun with Sawney and Bean but she was just so excited to be around Eren today.

“Good afternoon, Eren! Let’s talk some… more… ?” The words died on her lips at the sight that greeted her.

Eren was asleep. That would normally be adorable. Not to mention it would be an opportune moment to observe the subject and do various harmless test while the subject is unconscious. But she very well understood that now was not the time. She could see the dried tear tracks on his cheeks. Even in sleep, the boy looked troubled.

She picked up the book that somehow fell off the bed, and spotted a sheet of paper. Seeing the contents, she understood then, what had transpired, not so long ago. The poor boy must be feeling so very lonely. She smoothed the frown lines between his brow as she sat on the bedside chair.

He turned his head her way and muttered something that suspiciously sounded like ‘Mom’. Sometimes it’s all too easy to forget that their recruits are still, technically, children - too young to be made to face the horrors even grown men couldn’t handle.

This was not how she had planned to spend the afternoon with Eren. But for now, she guessed, it’s okay to enjoy the peace once in a while.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KAT: Oh god the feels ;_;) I want the next chapter already!


	6. Taking Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exams are OVER!
> 
> Enough said.
> 
> This chapter has been proofread by my sister, KAT.

Hanji whiled away the hours by reading the book Eren had been reading, the one she picked up off the floor. She was amazed at the neatness of the book. Being a teenager, she had expected to find dog ear marks on some pages in the book. But it was a pleasant surprise to find that he had dried a flower in a book and was using it to mark his place in the book. The flower hasn’t been pressed for long enough to be used properly but the sentiment as to how much he valued these books she lent him, oddly touched her.

She knew this already. But she can’t help to find this boy more and more interesting.

She was pleasantly surprised at the rate he was reading as well. He only started yesterday and he was already halfway through. She never would have expected the boy to take an interest in such a topic as wood carving. Maybe she just found her friend a kindred soul. It was high time to drop a visit on that man. Maybe he would agree to at least have a discussion with this young man and tell him more on the topic.

Before she knew it, hours had passed and the sun cast a fiery glow through the window. A knock came and the door opened. It was Moblit, her irreplaceable, dear Moblit.

“As expected, you’re still here, Major. Have you forgotten about the event tonight?” Moblit asked respectfully though he was unable to suppress the frustration in his words.

“Moblit! I didn’t notice the time, that’s all. Eren has been sleeping the whole time I was here,” Hanji stood up and carefully placed the book by Eren’s head.

Moblit looked at her curiously. Hanji noticed it. “What is it Moblit?”

Moblit was surprised to see her smiling softly, unlike the usual crazed smile she would make. He really has to agree with his superior, if this boy was able to put such an expression on her face. “It’s nothing. We must hurry back or the commander will scold you again, Sir.”

“Yes, yes.” She preceded him out and then another kind of excitement filled her. She wondered if any of Eren’s fellow trainees would join the Scouting Legion?

_I hope we’ll get many recruits this year._

_**  
**_ **\- - - - -**

Hanji arrived just in time for the event to start. There were so many trainees this year and she recognized some of Eren’s friends looking uncharacteristically serious.

****

_I wonder if something happened? Or is it because of Eren?_

My, so many interesting people and they seem to be connected to Eren in some way. But she still finds Eren the most interesting of all. Daydreaming of Eren made her think of titans. Titans made her think of Sawney and Bean. And so, before she knew it, Erwin was already spouting his manipulative, terrifying speech.

_****** ** _

*”Those of you who are still willing to put your life on the line despite learning about the dreadful state of affairs, stay here,” Erwin continued, issuing a challenge so compelling in an underlying manner.

_****** ** _

*”And let me reiterate this again: most of those who will decide to stay here and enter the Scouting Legion will probably be dead soon.”

_****** ** _

*”Listen to your hearts closely and ask yourselves if you really have got what it takes to sacrifice your life for mankind.”

_****** ** _

His speech caused havoc. It was impossible not to. These are essentially children forced into service, no matter that they signed up by themselves. Many unsurprisingly left, pale-faced and fixed into terror. But there will always be some who would remain. Those would be idealists, rarely would there be anyone who stayed and knowing and accepting the harsh reality.

_****** ** _

Erwin, she observed, remained as calm and as cold as usual. Nothing seemed to faze the man that it seemed like he has no humanity in him.

_****** ** _

She looked at the quadrangle again and she was just as unsurprised to see those few who remained. “Eren’s friends are strange,” she muttered under her breath.

_****** ** _

“What was that?” Levi, who had been standing beside her, asked.

_****** ** _

“The ones who stayed. They are all Eren’s friends.”

_****** ** _

“... That boy you’ve been fond of lately? Huh. I guess they’re as foolish as him.”

_****** ** _

“No, they are interesting like him. Just not on the same level as that boy,” she hummed to herself.

_****** ** _

Levi said nothing. He may have said that these young ones are foolish but in truth those who are in the legion are all a little crazy in the head. Only the crazy people would dare to sacrifice their lives, carrying the heaviest burden that their fellow humans placed upon them, willingly or not.

_****** ** _

“.... I might like to meet this boy.”

_****** ** _

And if Hanji’s smile turned a little smug after that almost-inaudible statement, no one dared to comment.

_****** ** _

*” So, will you be able to go die if you’re told to?” he waited for the answer that will determine everything.

_****** ** _

If they answered wrong, then these children will have forfeited their lives foolishly, without cause. If they answered correctly, then it would be up to him to guide them, to have them lose whatever’s left of their naivete because the legion is where people become monsters to fight the greatest monstrosity they ever have to face.

_****** ** _

He smiled, after hearing their response. Offering his welcome, he saluted them, hands curled into a loose fist and placed over the heart.

_****** ** _

*” Dedicate your lives to the cause!”

_****** ** _

*”Yes, Sir!”

_****** ** _

\- - - - -

_****** ** _

Eren woke up with a gasp, his heart pounding furiously. He was quite sure this feeling of anxiousness wasn’t due to a nightmare he may have had while sleeping. It was suffocating, and no matter how much he tried to breathe calmly, his heart would not slow down.

_****** ** _

It felt like something profound was happening. He was unsure where he got such a notion but it felt right. Whatever must have happened, nothing will ever be the same from now on. There is no going back.

_****** ** _

He has never feared the unknown until this very moment.

\- - - - -

_****** ** _

It was the next day. Last night Eren had difficulty going back to sleep. It took him half an hour to calm his beating heart and about two hours to slip back into sleep. Considering how much he slept yesterday, he woke up feeling more tired than usual. The doctor came along with the volunteer nurse who usually brought him breakfast, earlier. He had checked on the bandages and told him it would take months for the wounds to seal close.

_****** ** _

He left soon after, leaving behind a bad taste which basically worsened an already dull meal.

_****** ** _

He found the book he had been reading, placed beside his pillow, with the letter folded neatly between the pages. Someone must have come by to visit him yesterday after falling unconscious. He had this uncomfortable feeling that it was his mother but knew that to be impossible.

_****** ** _

Still, the fact remains that someone else saw the letter. He hoped it wasn’t Mikasa and the others. He didn’t want them to know so soon, especially letting them know how much it affected him.

_****** ** _

With a sigh, he continued reading where he left off. If he still had two arms and two hands, he would love to try woodwork. It seems so interesting and he could make a lot of things out of wood.

_****** ** _

_I hope Miss Hanji comes by soon…_

_********  
** ** _

Speak of the devil, there came a knock. However, Eren wasn’t sure if he should be happy or apprehensive. It was Hanji by the door, but she wasn’t the only one who thought of visiting him today.

“Eren! We came to play~” Hanji called out happily and took the opportunity to drop a few things on his lap.

“Uh, Miss Hanji, what are these for?” Eren eyed the bound book on his lap, among pencils and rubber erasers.

“I had someone (meaning Moblit) bind papers for you to draw on.”

“Oh…” it was perfect timing but he probably couldn’t draw as well as he would have if he still had a complete set of arms.

“Eren, how are you feeling today?” Mikasa asked, concerned. Eren didn’t seem like his usual self today.

“I’m fine, Mikasa. I’m just feeling tired.”

“Well, I’m not surprised. You are still healing.” Armin sat down on his bed and randomly grabbed a book from the pile that Hanji first brought.

Eren kept his gaze on his blonde friend. He noticed that both of them have been avoiding making eye contact with him and it was slowly getting on his nerves. It always does when they become like this though this is the first time they have acted this way at the same time.

“Alright, you two - whatever it is you’re both protecting me from, let me remind you that I may have lost two limbs but I am still not at the state where you guys have to protect me for my own good.”

Armin started, giving Eren a guilty look. Even Mikasa had the sense to blush in embarrassment.

“Well, it looks like I need to make myself scarce. I’ll just go change the water in this flower vase with fresh ones,” volunteered Hanji and she quickly flounced out of the room, precariously holding the said vase.

None of them even looked at her as she left.

“Eren… We, that is, Mikasa and I.. well, we joined the Scouting Legion,” Armin muttered quietly. Mikasa didn’t say anything to add to what he said.

The brunette was still processing his words. But it made him curious why they had to hide it from him. Then he realized that he didn’t feel as much as he thought he would if his friends confessed this to him two days ago. Maybe he really was accepting it. This was big news, however. The legion turns out the strongest fighters because they have the most experience in battling titans.

He smiled, because Mikasa is indeed a very strong fighter. And Armin might become more tough. His tactics may prove to be very useful to the legion. And he was confident in the fact that whatever happens, Mikasa will always keep watch over Armin.

“Really? Congratulations, both of you.” His response had them staring at him in shock.

“Though I’m sure Mikasa joined because of some misguided sense of duty now that I can’t join like I had intended. But I’m glad you didn’t choose to resign and become a civilian with me,” Eren continued.

“It would have been a waste of your powers because humanity needs your strength more than I need your babying.”

“Eren…” Mikasa murmured his name, tears gathering in her eyes. She would gladly give herself over to a life of just caring for Eren. But because she cared for him, she would rather help him fulfill the task he can no longer do by himself. She was proud of herself, for making the right choice. It was a chance to do the thing she’s good at, to cut flesh, to kill titans. And she would try her hardest to do so, until Eren would be satisfied.

“It’s not only us two,” Armin blurted out, feeling out of depth with this new level of maturity Eren was showing them. The others also decided to join the legion. Even Jean and Marco, and Annie. I was so sure she would proceed to the Military Police.”

“Eren,” Mikasa interjected. “We’ll try our best, for you. So that you wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to pay back what they did to Mother.” Few are the times that Mikasa would allow herself to become emotional, and especially becoming like that in front of an audience. She must have really thought that her remaining family would hate her for going to do what he would have wanted to do himself.

“Really… you guys are idiots,” Eren scolded them lightly, tears streaming down his face, but he was clearly smiling. He really was truly happy for them.

It was because of that, that the other two became highly affected that they all found themselves crying yet smiling so wide their cheeks started hurting. Mikasa clung to Eren, and Armin clutched both of their hands. They laughed at their own foolishness, and it almost felt like how they used to spend their childhood, looking at the blonde’s grandfather’s book about the outside world.

It was so easy to dream, back in those innocent-filled days.

That was a thought that quickly sobered them up. Because, although Eren was proud of them, it doesn’t change the fact that the Scouting Legion holds the highest death rate.

“Be careful when on expeditions. And come by whenever you come back from one. You have to tell me all about it over tea,” Eren insisted.

“We will. But it won’t be that soon. You are still a recovering soldier, Eren,” Armin reminded him, causing the smile on Eren’s face to disappear.

“Sorry, Armin. I… got the letter of honorable discharge yesterday. As if calling it that would make me feel better!” He spat aggressively. How could they call it honorable when he barely even began?

“We should have come by yesterday…”

“No. I’m glad you didn’t. I think I was able to get over it because I handled it alone,” he gave them a sad smile. “I’m just being sour about that ‘honorable’ bit. It makes me feel humiliating.”

“I’ll send you some money,” Mikasa started.

“No. We’ll both send you money,” Armin corrected. “And you’re not allowed to reject our offer.”

Eren gave up because Armin rarely gets stubborn and when he does, you just can’t win against him. “Fine. They’re giving me compensation money anyway but it’s not like I can live off of it for long.”

They sat together in peace. But then Eren remembered something. “Hey, where’s Miss Hanji?”

“Come to think of it, it shouldn’t take that long to change the water in the vase,” Armin added his own thoughts.

A snicker came through the door before it opened to reveal Hanji grinning at them like a cat who caught a mouse. “Aww, you finally realized how much you miss me? I don’t mind. I miss Eren a lot whenever I go back to our headquarters. I think of you a lot, along with Sawney and Bean.” Her smile turned dreamy and it was seriously scaring the three youths.

Actually, Mikasa is more scared for Eren since he’s the target of this woman’s fantasies.

“Um, Eren, we’d rather stay and spend the whole day with you but Mikasa and I, along with the others from our squad, have to pack our things and move to the legion’s headquarters. We’re also going to be assigned under squad leaders and we still don’t know who will come under whose command.”

 

“Hm, Ackerman here might be assigned under Levi’s squad. For some reason I think you both won’t get along,” Hanji informed them, still smiling lazily. “Don’t worry, Eren. I don’t have much to do since Sawney and Bean are reacting to my experiments predictably. So I’ll just stay with you!”

 

“Ah… thank you, Miss Hanji…”

 

“You’re welcome~!”

 

“Well then, I guess we’re going now. Take care, Eren. And make sure to rest a lot.”

 

“And eat your vegetables, Eren.”

 

“Shut up, Mikasa! I’m not a kid,” Eren responded heatedly, sending her a glare.

 

Mikasa only smiled as she followed their smart friend out of the room.

 

“...Your friends are really interesting, Eren. I thought so when I saw them last night. But none of them compares to how much interesting you are to me. So don’t worry about any them replacing you in my heart,” the bespectacled squad leader assured him.

 

\- - - - -

Reiner was just tidying up his bed when Armin came in. The guys stopped what they were doing and stared at him curiously. When the blonde youth went off with Mikasa to visit Eren, he had looked apprehensive. Probably because they kept last night from their wounded friend, thinking that they were protecting him from destructive thoughts of what-could-have-beens.

The tall blonde soldier shook his head at their misplaced worry. Even if they avoided telling Eren about last night, it was inevitable that there would be other things that could set off his brooding thoughts. Like having too much time to think, bedridden as he is.

That wasn't the point, however. Armin had left earlier looking nervous and now he comes back looking depressed. _Wonder what happened?_

"Armin, how was Eren?" Marco asked gently.

****

The blonde youth turned his gaze slowly at him as if he only just realized that he arrived back. He couldn't even remember how he got back, what routes they had taken and what sights he passed by. "We told Eren about last night and about our decision."

****

"He took it badly?" Bertholdt asked quietly, making assumptions based from his expression.

****

Armin shook his head no and sighed. "He took it pretty well, actually. It took us by surprise. He was more worried for us but congratulated us all the same."

****

"Then what has you all depressed?" Jean asked irritably. He really should just go ahead and tell them already.

****

Their blonde friend bit his lip before speaking. "Eren, he... he got a letter and, um..." his voice faded and he looked really uncomfortable. Why was he still hesitating? Word will spread soon enough if they haven't already.

****

"He got a letter?" Connie asked obliviously. Reiner already had an inkling when Armin mentioned the letter. He could feel his heart turn heavy. Eren was an excellent soldier after all. And to be reduced to this, the fates have been cruel.

****

"He got a letter of honorable discharge," Armin whispered harshly, hands curling to tight fists. "He was bitter about it but he wasn't wallowing in self-pity. Since when did he mature so well?"

****

"Armin..." Connie murmured.

****

"I feel like he's leaving us behind..." Armin added, smiling sadly.

****

Reiner picked up his knapsack of what few belongings he has and walked to the door. He stopped when he was shoulder-to-shoulder with his small friend.  "Armin, he's not leaving us behind. Just like we're not leaving him behind. Our paths will not diverge even as we walk different paths now that Eren is no longer a soldier." He spoke steadily and with confidence, all without taking his eyes away from the door.

****

"Eren is trying to keep up along with us. He cannot afford to let little things affect him. And we may be on different paths but our paths will surely run parallel because our destinies are tied together. Eren will always be a soldier in spirit."

****

With those philosophical words, Reiner went out the door and went to see if the girls were ready to go.

****

"... I don't really get what he said but I somehow understand," Connie spoke into the silence. He beamed at them. "Eren is trying his best and we should, too! That way, no one gets left behind."

****

What they said lightened Armin's heart unbelievably. "Yeah... you're right! I better start packing."

****

"We'll help you out," Marco offered and started to fix the blonde's bed.

****

\- - - - -

****

After a lot of encouragements from Hanji, Eren tentatively started to sketch. It didn't look very promising, especially as he tried to find a comfortable position, and every movement sent jolts of pain through his still-healing stumps where his left arm and half of his left leg had been bitten off.

After he grew too tired to continue and he could barely stand to look at his horrible drawings. Hanji noticed right away, of course and resolved to take his mind off his frustrations for the moment. "So Eren, how much are you interested in wood carving?"

The question surprised him but he was glad for the distraction and he had been meaning to ask her something today. "I didn't expect to be very interested, actually. Ms. Hanji, I've been meaning to ask you something.”

She looked expectantly at him, her gaze just a bit too interested in what he has to say. “Yes?”

“Uh… Could you teach me how to carve wood? Or at least, point me to someone who can? Not right away, of course. Just, when I’m all better and set to live by myself.” He looked away, embarrassed by this admission. He was probably asking for too much. She was kind enough to save him and then support him for his treatment and well-being.

Hanji vigorously rubbed his head, and her eyes were practically sparkling. “Eren is asking for my help, and I didn’t even have to force him! Excellent! I was already planning on introducing you to that friend I mentioned before. His whereabouts are unknown to those who keep a look-out for him. Luckily for you, my favorite subject, I know where he lives.”

Eren was dizzy with the continuous words that seemed to pour out of her mouth. But in his chest was an indescribable, happy feeling. “Really, Miss Hanji?” He could hardly believe it.

“Of course! I’ll pay him a very discreet visit and tell him all about you.” She gave him a wink. “Honestly, he has been a bit lonely with no one to talk to about his life’s work. But don’t tell him I told you that! While I love to experiment as much as the next guy - “

Eren winced, completely disagreeing with last line.

“But I really don’t want to experience being turned into a marionette,” she finished. She says so, but she seemed to look a bit too excited at the prospect.

“Thank you very much, Miss Hanji. Someday I’ll repay you for all your kindness.”

“Repayment? That’s easy, Eren,” she cooed, dragging a finger down his cheek. “Just let me observe you as frequently as I can and allow me to make records of my observations.”

Eren could only laugh uncomfortably.

\- - - - -

“Oh, the new recruits? Welcome to the Scouting Legion,” Petra welcomed them happily.

“Don’t start babying the little shits, Petra,” Auruo spouted, beginning his imitations of Lance Corporal Levi once again.

“Bite your tongue, Auruo,” she scolded him and conveniently, he did. “Ignore him, he has identity issues.”

Armin and the others were unsure how to react to this type of welcome. They had expected the people to be more hardened, with the aura of seasoned soldiers who have experienced it all on the battlefield, so to speak.

“Um, excuse me. Would it be right to assume that we have been assigned under Lance Corporal Levi?” Armin spoke for them all.

“Oh, yes. you have all been assigned under Squad Levi. Being a part of this squad means that you have to be the very best,” Petra answered.

“Hold on, Petra. Aren't you forgetting something?” A blonde man stopped her from further speaking.

“Forgot what?” she looked at him blankly.

“Er, excuse me,” this time it was Marco who spoke up. He felt that his friends were slowly losing patience. “Um, could you please tell us who you are…?”

The absentminded redhead turned her blank look at him and then she realized what it was that Erd was trying to tell her.

“Ah! I wanted to look like a reliable senior officer and everything,” she exclaimed, devastated.

“Tsk, tsk. You’re trying too hard, Petra,” Auruo goes again. But he also had the same idea as her, hence the extra effort to sound like Levi.

“I’m Petra Ral. This idiot is Auruo Bossard. Sorry for the late introduction. This is Gunther Schultz,” the man just gave them a smirk.

“That blonde is Erd Jinn. He’s also Corporal Levi’s second-in-command.”

Armin and the others saluted them and introduced themselves. Petra felt awed because finally she and Auruo are no longer the youngest members of the Special Operations Squad.

Erd just grinned and approached Armin. He slung an arm around his shoulder casually and said, “Don’t be too tense! Corporal Levi is strict about some things but all in all we’re pretty casual about everything not related to titans. Come ask me anytime if you have any questions.”

“Uh… y-yes…” Armin replied, completely out of his element. He breathed a sigh of relief when the older man finally let him go.

“Now I’ll just leave Petra to show you your rooms. Gather up in the mess hall for further instructions. At ease!” Erd turned his back to them and gave them a wave without glancing back. Gunther pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on and followed Erd on the way.

Petra clapped her hands to get their attention. “Okay, follow me and I’ll explain some things on the way. You’re coming too, Auruo!” she yelled at him when he tried to sneak off. Her yell surprised him so much, he accidentally bit his tongue - again.

“Hey Armin, “ Connie whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Are they really under the humanity’s strongest Corporal Levi’s squad?”

Armin wasn’t sure how to answer that.

 ****  
  
  


**  
  
**

  
  
  


_**  
** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shall devote my frustrations of failing a few exams, to writing more chapters for this story. 
> 
> Rest assured. School is in the way. It will again, soon.


	7. Letting Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear things up, my sister and I research before posting a chapter. And we are aware that Angel is either dead or in his 90s since he was 18, 70 years _before_ the year 845. But this is canon divergence and he's hot, so why not?  
>  \- KAT and axa

Time passed slowly for Eren Jaeger. But despite the slow trickle of time, time surely passed. Many things have happened since then. As he spent most of his time bedridden, he had resolved to train his remaining arm in preparation to support him in his everyday life once he leaves the care of the doctors and volunteer caregivers.

 

Hanji visited him as much as she could get away with. From her he heard about the Scouting Legion setting up their new headquarters in an old noble's castle. He would have liked to see it. Heck, he would have liked to see his friends in it. But Miss Hanji says the headquarters was pretty much isolated and a long travel from here.

 

But still, whenever they had their day off, Mikasa and Armin would come visit him together with the eccentric, bespectacled squad leader. Sometimes she would drag her assistant along with her. Often times he would be left behind to carry out the work she abandoned for the day in favor of visiting her favorite titan survivor.

 

But it seemed like she isn't the type to shirk work. Eren had to hear a lot about what she had been doing with her two pet titans after all. He wished she would stop telling him but he just didn't have the heart to deny his savior.

 

Speaking of his two best friends, they were kind enough to pack his things for him and dropped them off the day after they moved away from the trainee barracks. Mikasa was thoughtful enough to alter his pants and shirts. Though he couldn't make sense of why she didn't just cut the left sleeves and left pant leg and sew the holes shut. She just folded them and made use of them as pads for my stumps.

 

When he told Miss Hanji about it, she just smiled knowingly and said nothing. He gave up figuring it out after that. She would never say anything she wouldn't want to when she could've at the drop of a hat.

 

Another highlight for Eren in the following months were the letters Miss Hanji would hand-deliver to him from someone he would soon call his mentor. The first letter came a few days after he had a talk with his eccentric benefactor.

 

She was grinning at him as he eyed the letter curiously. "What is this about, Miss Hanji?" He had asked with trepidation.

 

"Oh, just open it, Eren. And see for yourself. I'm sure you will like this," she had replied in complete confidence.

 

Gingerly he tore the side of the envelope with his teeth and took out the folded letter with a bit of difficulty. He then proceeded to read the letter and before Hanji's eyes his grew bigger and bigger.

 

She quickly took out a bound leather book and started scribbling down her observations furiously, tongue sticking out and face flushed with excitement. She paused when she noticed his attention on her.

 

"Miss Hanji, may I... "  his voice failed him as he hesitated before he breathed deeply and tried again.

 

“Yes?” Hanji put her face close to his, making him feel a tad awkward but even that wasn’t enough to curb his happiness.

 

“May I… reply to this person?” the young brunette asked.

 

Hanji moved back to her proper place, looking thoughtful. “What did he say in the letter?”

 

Eren looked down at the paper on his lap. “He said he would like to hear from me…”

 

“Ah, well then, doesn’t that mean he wants you to reply to him? You need not ask for my permission, Eren.”

 

After that, Hanji could swear, when she saw that bright smile breaking out on Eren’s face, it was like the sun chose that moment to shine through and highlight him. And her ears would tickle, as if she heard the sound of angelic voices singing in a choir. That was a foolish thought, however. The only existing religion now is the one where people worship the three Walls.

 

\- - - - -

 

Since then, many letters have been exchanged between Eren and Hanji’s woodcarver friend. Through the letters, he was able to finally gain confidence in living a common life, and he had something to look forward to, once he leaves this place of recuperation. As his arm gained strength, he was able to sketch properly. And once he began, the flow of ideas wouldn’t stop as it made its transition from thoughts to paper.

 

It became routine for Hanji to ask Moblit to bind papers and she would give Eren this bound paper along with her friend’s reply for that time. There was one thing that worried him then - that his leg would be too weak to support him. All he could do was strengthen his arm but he couldn’t think of ways to do  the same with his leg. He would need a cane but it was too basic and wouldn’t properly support him at all.

 

Up until the very day he was deemed well and fit by his doctor, he worried constantly about his leg. Thanks to Hanji’s efforts and his soon-to-be mentor’s offer, he no longer had a problem with finding a place to call his home. It was decided that he board with Hanji’s friend and pay by working in his woodwork shop.

 

When it comes to insecurities however, he had one insecurity that he couldn’t let go of. How could he learn how to carve using only one arm? He drew a lot of things he would like to carve by hand one day, but his spirit would falter at the thought of this hurdle. He couldn’t even voice it out to his bespectacled benefactor, nor could he confide to his mentor. But surely that man knew. He must surely know yet he still wanted him as an apprentice.

 

He was still worrying over it, and worrying over it, that he didn’t even notice Miss Hanji arrive with her assistant in tow.

 

“Eren, are you ready to leave?” She asked eagerly.

 

He was startled out of his worrying and looked to the doorway to see them waiting for him. “Miss Hanji! Good morning. Yes, I’m all ready and packed up. The caretaker was nice enough to help me put on my clothes that Mikasa had altered. Though now I think it feels loose on me now,” he laughed nervously, his gaze sliding away from hers.

 

“You were put on a strict diet of liver and rice gruel after all,” she replied. “It was a good thing I brought you some food from time to time.”

 

“Miss Hanji… wasn’t it Mikasa sending me food through you?” he corrected her.

 

“Oh, don’t fuss over the little things! At least the stitches have been pulled out and you’re not feeling dizzy from lack of blood in your body. Your heart worked a lot for you to recover. Now you can rest easy. Moblit!”

 

Moblit came in and that’s when Eren noticed the object he was holding. “Miss Hanji… what’s that?”

 

Her lips curled in amusement. “Very observant, Eren! That is a crutch for you to use. And-” she paused for effect. “It was hand-carved personally by your mentor.”

To say that Eren was caught by surprise was a gross understatement. It would be more accurate to say that he was too overcome with so many emotions, he could not express it all. Very soon however, a pressing curiosity won out.

 

“Miss Hanji, why won’t you ever tell me his name? Even your friend, he only signs the letters with his initials.”

 

She gaped at him, not expecting that as his response to this surprise. “All in good time, Eren. You’ll know later in the day, so there’s no need to rush things. I did say there are people keeping a lookout for him. But it’s his place to tell you about it, if he wants you to know.” She gestured for Moblit to hand over the present and showed the boy how to use it.

 

Basically the single crutch will be used as a lean-to. It will serve in place of his missing leg and he can use his only arm to maneuver himself. With this, the green-eyed youth can give his leg the exercise it needs to match his strengthened arm.

 

“There! Now that you know the basics, we better move along or we’ll arrive past nightfall. Moblit, carry him! I’ll bring the bags.”

 

Moblit smiled apologetically at Eren. “If you don’t mind,” he said softly before he pulled the youth’s arm over his shoulder and hoisted him up, cradling him in the process. Eren was embarrassed beyond words but said nothing and flailed not at all because Moblit is a kindhearted person who he dare not hurt by refusing his help.

 

“Thank you. Sorry about this, Mr. Moblit.”

 

“It’s not a problem, Eren.”

 

They stepped outside and Moblit hurriedly deposited Eren inside the wagon, along with his things. Eren didn’t need people gawking over his limbs, or lack thereof. The boy was still taking time to fully adapt to this way of living from now on, after all. Hanji climbed in with Eren to keep him company while Moblit will be sitting upfront to drive the horses.

 

“The seats are padded so make yourself comfortable, Eren,” Hanji urged.

 

“Where exactly are we going, Miss Hanji?” he asked as he did what was suggested.

 

“We’re going inside Wall Rose. He doesn’t reside in Trost, after all. He lives a little beyond the first town we will be passing through. He likes the silence and the abundance of trees he raises with his own hands, for his woodwork.”

 

“Oh. I won’t mind living quietly like that from now on.” _At least it’ll make it easier for Mikasa and Armin to visit me._

 

“Now settle down. It’ll be a few hours before we get there.”

 

Eren laid down before the words registered in his brain. “What? Hours? But I thought he lives just outside of town?”

 

Hanji had just reclined in a comfortable position when he asked her. “Oh? Did I make it sound like that? He actually lives equidistant in between two towns. Considering the distance between the first town and the town nearest to it. Let’s just say that he really likes his privacy.”

 

“That being said, he actually likes to entertain children and allow their parents to bring them over on a scheduled day so that he could entertain them,” she added, flashing Eren a big smile.

 

It only made Eren more curious about his new teacher. This man must be kind, older than him by ten or twenty years, perhaps. He suddenly picture a dark-haired man, graying hair around the temples, bearded with crows’ feet at the edges of his eyes, and always with a kind smile.

 

Just like a father.

 

\- - - - -

 

Months have passed but Armin barely felt it, busy as they were. But he would observe the passage of time whenever they would visit Eren. He noticed a change that came over his friend, and was glad after he told them the root of it.

 

“Hey Armin, isn’t Eren being discharged today?” Connie’s voice burst through his thoughts.

 

“Yeah. He probably already left with Major Hanji about now,” he answered.

 

“Maybe some of us could have at least showed up to come with him,” Christa mused.

“It’s not like we can ask for a day off. Especially with the upcoming expedition,” Reiner spoke his thoughts on the matter.

 

“We can come visit him in his new home after the expedition,” Marco suggested with a smile.

 

“...If we come back alive,” Annie muttered before stalking off, leaving everyone anxious when they were trying so hard not to think about it.

 

“This Eren person must be great. You guys really care for him. And even Squad Leader Hanji won’t stop talking about it to the Commander and Corporal Levi,” Petra said, dredging up a smile as she tried to steer the mood to a more positive one.

 

“He must not be all that if he already almost got done in by titans on his first crisis,” Auruo muttered, causing the ginger-head to glare at him. Unfortunately, it was Mikasa’s killer aura that was giving him the shivers, making him to accidentally bite his tongue.

 

“That  was really mean, Mr. Auruo!” Sasha called out petulantly. “Eren is really strong. He ranked among the top ten in our batch. And he, more than anyone, wanted to go out there and exterminate all the titans.”

 

“That really doesn’t make much of a lasting impression,” Gunther stated. “He isn’t the only one to join with that intention. Many joined before him for the very same reason,” he pointed out as he carried a sack of potatoes to be brought with them in the expedition.

 

“...You haven’t seen his expression. Eren would put on the most scariest face when he talks about annihilating titans,” Mikasa finally spoke up, looking at the ground as her hand gripped the red scarf around her neck.

 

Armin also stopped and remembered his friend’s scary face.

 

“He would say this phrase that he would wipe out the titans until the very last one.” Here Jean had to have his last say. “That’s the reason why we generally refer to him as that ‘suicidal bastard’.”

 

Gunther didn’t know what to say to that and so chose to remain silent. He didn’t show it, but he had a feeling, from their words, that the depth of Eren’s hatred for the abominations must have been really deep. He wouldn’t have wanted to be the titan at the end of that kid’s blades. But because of circumstances, such feelings, he would have had to set them aside in order for him to accept his predicament. The kids are right. This Eren Jaeger must be really strong. He would have been perfect for the Scouting Legion. He had a feeling the boy would have fit right in.

 

A wooden slat slammed open to reveal Levi looking out the window down at the courtyard, seemingly looking for someone. His sharp eyes landed on Petra, causing her to stand at attention.

 

“Sir!”

 

“Petra. Is that four-eyes around?” his voice rang clear throughout the clearing.

 

“Sir! Squad Leader Hanji and Moblit went off to bring the civilian Eren Jaeger to his home, Corporal.”

 

His stare seemed to intensify before the pressure disappeared completely as he looked away. “I see. Tell me the minute she gets back. I’m going to fucking kill her,” he muttered the last part to himself but the others heard it clearly anyway. They shivered as the window was closed, keeping Levi out of view once again. The humanity’s strongest is a really scary person. It seemed like Mikasa was the only one with the guts to clash with him.

 

Major Hanji on the other hand, is either fearless or her eccentricity has left her brain-addled. She readily approaches the corporal but only end up in pain or the receiver of his verbal abuse.

 

\- - - - -

 

Hands shook him awake and he opened his eyes blearily, squinting against the bright light of the sun.

 

“Good, you’re awake. Let’s sit you up. Moblit is letting the horses rest while we stop for lunch. Do you want to eat outside?”

 

Eren nodded, still in the grips of sleep. Hanji hoisted him up as best she could and led him to Moblit who was waiting to take him, by the opening of the wagon. The wind felt wonderful on his face and it helped him wake some more. All he could hear was quiet. Gone were the hustle and bustle of people living their everyday lives. Gone were the clopping of hooves on the bricked pavement. The sounds that surrounded them was wholly of nature.

 

Moblit set him down under the shade of a tree while Hanji started dividing up their meal. “The wind feels wonderful, doesn’t it?” she asked the youth.

 

“Yes. I’ve missed feeling this. It feels very peaceful.” All of a sudden he remembered his childhood. He would go up that grassy hill and sleep under the shade of that tree he favored. And Mikasa would wake him up when it was time to go back home again.

 

He gratefully accepted his share of the meal and ate sedately, soaking in the sights, sounds, and feels of nature. This was the kind of peace he had wanted people to feel. He had wanted to vanquish the overhanging gloom of knowing that one day titans would come and finish them all.

 

Now it’s all up to his friends.

 

“Here, have some water,” Moblit handed him the flask of water, which he accepted with gratitude.

 

“We really should get moving. He’s very impatient nowadays,” Hanji was saying but she doesn’t seem to be in any rush to pack things up.

 

“I’ll try out this crutch for a bit,” Eren stated and tried to figure out how to get comfortable using the crutch.

 

“We’ll leave you to it then, while we fix things up.” Moblit fetched the horses that were peacefully grazing while Hanji put their things away.

 

By the time they were ready to leave, the green-eyed youth finally got the hang of it and barely needed assistance from Moblit in walking towards the wagon. But lifting himself in was another set of problems just as well. He didn’t take it to heart, however. After all, he could at least walk by himself now.

 

\- - - - -

 

The sun was a blazing mixture of orange and pink when they were near enough to spot a person standing outside a big house, waving at them. At least, that was what Moblit told them, as their view was hidden by the cloth covering the wagon as part of its design. The fixed arches ensured that people could stand up inside and it shapes the wagon itself.

 

Pretty soon all motion stopped and the auburn haired assistant moved over so Eren and Hanji could see the person who had been anxiously waiting for their arrival. Eren was surprised by the youthfulness of the blonde male. He could see that all his assumptions were proven wrong.

 

“You must be the young Eren Jaeger. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Angel Aaltonen,” the stranger spoke and the brunette was too surprised to respond.

 

A chuckle had him glance at the Squad Leader. “See? I told you he would be surprised speechless! Oh, goodness! I have to write down this observation.” She hurried to take out her journal and pen and inkpot before scribbling furiously, chuckling at some points.

 

Angel sighed, looking irritably at her before smiling again for Eren’s benefit. “How did you like my gift, Eren? May I call you Eren?”

 

_Oh! That’s right. This person is a master woodcarver and puppeteer. How unbelievable that he’s only a few years into his twenties._

 

“Yes, please call me Eren, Mr. Aaltonen. Thank you very much for the thoughtful gift. I managed to practice a little with it earlier today,” Eren answered politely, still feeling unsure how to act around this person. Faintly he noticed Moblit quietly slip away to take down his things and move them to the porch.

 

Angel scoffed. “None of this Mr. Aaltonen tripe. Call me Angelo. I mainly answer to Angel in business. It helps hide my identity, more fool them.”

 

It confused the boy, not really understanding what Angel was talking about but he supposed it was none of his business.

 

In any case, the man seemed to snap out of it and offered to help him down. “Here, let me hold that crutch for a while. Give me your arm and lean all your weight on me. That’s a good boy.”

Hearing that praise only embarrassed Eren but he didn’t want to offend his mentor so soon after meeting. With a sigh, he accepted the crutch back and slowly made his way to the porch. Somehow, the fact that Angelo matched him pace for pace warmed something inside him. He hid a small smile and continued.

 

“Oi, Hanji! Since it’s late and all, I’ll let you stay until breakfast. You better be grateful, you titan-lover,” he teased her affectionately.

 

“Heh~ Isn’t that obvious? All of what you said is true, wood-lover,” the bespectacled woman bantered back.

 

“Anyway, Eren must be tired and hungry. I made us potato and mutton soup, and my very own special bread fresh from the oven. Help the boy wash up in the bathroom, you crazy woman. Your assistant can help me set the table once he comes around after seeing to the horses.” He then took the few luggage and carried them in without a backward glance.

 

“Wonderful! You’ll love his bread, Eren. I’m sure you’ll love this house as well. There are tons of things you’ll come to know once you step foot inside,” Hanji smiled mysteriously, enjoying befuddling her little subject.

 

The brunette teenager looked bemused but nonetheless followed her in. And she was right once again. He couldn’t seem to close his mouth now that it hung open from shock. There were transparent glass in weird shape hanging on the ceiling and it was somehow generating light. They were practically lighting up the whole room even better than a few well-placed candles could do.

 

There were no dark corners unlike when they use torches which has stronger lighting than candles. Is it magic? Is Mr. Angelo a magician as well as a master puppeteer?

 

“Ah! Another speechless moment! I must record this as well, and then I will have Erwin read my observations.” But she didn’t even take out her journal this time. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? Angelo studied a lot of things. It’s just that he prefers to work with wood more than anything. Let’s just say that he sometimes dabbles in inventions and innovations.”

 

Although it was starting to hurt his eyes, Eren still couldn’t tear his eyes away from those glowing glass hanging up on the ceiling in a chandelier. But he was listening to Hanji’s words intently. Why would he hide such wonderful inventions? The people could benefit from it greatly.

As if hearing his thoughts, Hanji asked him a question. “You’re wondering why his inventions aren’t being used by now, aren’t you? It’s one of the reasons why he’s in hiding now, Eren. There are people out there who view such excellence as blasphemy and label him a heretic. Of course the king could protect his name and help in mass-producing his inventions but what if he wouldn’t?”

 

Her words sent a chilling sensation down his spine. He didn’t think a king, their king would act like that but who was he to know? If Mr. Angelo think it best to hide, then surely it must be the right thing to do.

 

And then Moblit came in and it was like the tension vanished. It will overshadow his thoughts from now on, he was sure. But for now he would like to enjoy these innovations like a child discovering fun, new things.

 

When Moblit came in, it was like a reminder for Hanji to do what she was supposed to be doing. So while Moblit obediently went into the kitchen area to assist, Hanji showed him where the first floor bathroom was located and helped him wash up. When they came in to the dining room, Moblit and Angelo had just finished setting up.

 

That’s when something occurred to Eren, when they were all seated. “Uh, Mr. Moblit, you know about…”

 

Hanji giggled, and that was a frightening thing. “Oh, Eren! You really crack me up, sometimes. Whenever I find time to visit Angelo, I always bring Moblit along. Mind you, I didn’t bring all of my previous assistants here. It’s just that Moblit has proven himself to me, that’s all.”

 

“And I always tell Moblit here that he’s welcome to escape Hanji and come work for me,” Angelo stated dryly. “Honestly, I think he’s too good for you. You don’t deserve his loyalty at all.”

 

“What?” she cried outrageously. “Tell him he’s wrong, Moblit. Tell him!” She was pointing at the blonde inventor while looking at her assistant pleadingly.

 

Poor Moblit was looking cornered and Eren was…

 

“ _Pfft_!”

 

The three adults immediately zeroed in on Eren and he was trying his best to contain his laughter but it just wouldn’t be contained. “I’m so sorry,” he tried to say in between laughter, tears spilling as it grew even more uncontrollable.

 

His laughter was so infectious that pretty soon they were all laughing along with the green-eyed boy.

 

“That was silly of us adults, huh?” Angelo stated once he got his breath back. “Let’s talk later. The food’s getting cold, you know.”

 

No further arguments ensued as they all tucked into their food. It was delicious and it warmed their bellies, leaving them satisfied. The bread was delicious as well. It was perfectly baked and to Eren’s delight, it had little corn kernels within it. The taste, when dipped in the soup, blended scrumptiously. He wished he could share it with his friends in that moment.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We still haven't read Before the Fall's light novel so we can't exactly pinpoint Angel's personality/behavior. If any one of you has an idea please let us know!


	8. Making Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that! I finally updated! Sorry for the super long delay, readers. My creative juices seem to be coming in small bursts. I'm pleased to say, however, that I finally made a Tumblr account. My username is the same username I'm using here on AO3. 
> 
> I wonder if there is any merit in mentioning that... I mean, I'm not even much of a blogger... Oh well!

The next day Eren had to say his farewells to Hanji, his benefactor, and Moblit, her often misused assistant. She was sad to leave Eren, her object of observation but she was happy enough to take home some of last night’s bread.

“Anyway, now I have even more of a reason to come back alive after each expedition. Wait for my next visit, Eren! We will have so many things to talk about!”

Hearing those words made the youth a little anxious. Ms. Hanji always has something to talk about. Oftentimes it would be about titans, her experiments. In recent months she would also ask him incessantly about himself, questions he wasn’t sure how to answer. He also became another favorite topic for the squad leader to talk about.

“Be careful on your way, Ms. Hanji, Mr. Moblit.” He bid them a safe trip back. No matter how eccentric his benefactor may be, he would always be grateful to this woman.

“Yes, and Moblit, if you decide you want to stay sane, I always have an open position for you here,” Angelo called out just to rile up his friend. He laughed when she sent him a pout and Moblit wasted precious time just to comfort her.

“Get on with you! You’re wasting sunlight!”

“All right! All right! Goodbye, you two! Get along well~” Hanji called out loudly, waving her arm wildly from within the wagon as Moblit drove away.

“Well, that takes care of that!” Angelo dusted off his hands like he just finished cleaning something. “Shall we take a tour of the property? Let’s start with my workshop.”

\- - - - -

The corporal was drinking his tea calmly but his aura of anger radiated off of him in waves. If you went too near him, you would feel scorched. Levi’s horrible mood started yesterday and it would only end if and when his source of bad mood would show up so that he could take it out on that source.

“I wonder what Squad Leader Hanji did to make the corporal so ill-tempered,” Christa mused as the new recruits observed their own squad leader from afar.

“It’s getting too risky to even approach the table to eat breakfast,” Jean commented with a shiver.

“It’s a good thing we ate early,” Marco added his two cents.

Petra sighed, standing by with them. “When it comes to Major Hanji, you never know what she would do to set the corporal off. I’ve never seen the corporal being ill-tempered for this long.”

“Tch!” Auruo suddenly butted in. “Don’t you know why? Major Hanji didn’t even return yesterday. Of course, the corporal would stay in a bad mood for this lo-” a spurt of blood erupted from his lips as all his corporal-copying had his tongue twisted and accidentally bitten.

“... Oi. You over there,” a menacing voice spoke over at them, sending chills down their spines. They all paled and became too terrified to look behind them.

“What the fuck are you doing not doing any work?” the corporal continued, his dark aura spreading like a tidal wave of negative energy.

“Ah, Corporal, we were just about to go do them now,” Petra played it off, cold sweat dotting her face as she bravely faced her superior. “Excuse us!”

Taking their cue, they all scattered to continue the final preparations for their upcoming expedition, leaving Levi to stew some more in solitude.

“Hey Armin, do you think Eren is moving far away?” Mikasa asked her blonde friend, sounding a little uncomfortable with the fact of not knowing where Eren is now.

Armin smiled, while on the inside he felt the same. “I’m sure Major Hanji will let us know his exact address. We’ll just have to wait for her return.” He winced. “And maybe after Corporal Levi deals with her.”

Mikasa sighed and remained silent for the rest of the day. She really wanted to come with the eccentric squad leader yesterday so that she could spend some time with her brother.

\- - - - -

“Right, here we are!” Angelo had shown his new apprentice the workshop that was built right beside his house. It was neat and full of half-finished projects, which surprisingly mostly consisted of marionettes.

“Who would have you make puppets? And so many of them, too.” Eren gazed in awe. The details put into each and every wooden doll was exquisite. Some of them had strings attached and others remained as dolls to be played with.

“Little girls need comforting and what better way for rich, noble fathers to comfort their little princesses than to present them with beautiful dollies to play with,” the blonde man answered dryly. “It keeps food on the table, at least. I don’t have anything against the little girls that will be receiving my work, mind you. But not all girls have rich fathers, you know. And all children need comforting just the same.”

Eren shifted on his foot as he remembered how he lost the parents that he could’ve counted on for comfort. It was a bitter thing to experience as a child. He doesn’t even know if his father is still alive out there somewhere. He just literally disappeared, leaving him the key to that stupid secret basement.

A sharp pain zipped through his head after that thought was processed, and he could feel his eye throb. He leaned heavily on his crutch and pushed at his throbbing eye, rubbing it as tears started to gather.

“Eren? Are you alright?” Angelo placed a hand on the youth’s shoulder and looked at him in concern. “Do you need to rest for a while?”

Eren didn’t want to rest. And as if his body heard his wish, the pain abruptly stopped. He sighed in relief and smiled at his mentor. “No, I’m fine. The pain is gone and I would really like to start today. I’m still not confident about my learning of woodwork with the lack of some necessary limbs,” he joked off.

“...If you’re sure. The kids will be arriving soon. It’s best we prepare to receive them,” the older man said mysteriously. And Eren easily got lured into his little game as the sound of horses cantering and the heavy wheels of a wagon turning could be heard outside.

“Oh! Here they are! Let’s give them a welcome, Jaeger. If you think being in the a training camp for three years was tiring, wait until three hours later and you’ll be needing to revise that opinion.”

The emerald-eyed youth followed him out and at the front they saw a man helping little boys and girls down the wagon. The children were all smiles and were visibly excited to be here. It made him even more curious about what was going on.

“Good morning, kids!” Angelo called out happily and the children broke out in cheers when they laid their eyes on him.

“Good morning, Angelo!” they returned his greetings simultaneously, giggling and laughing here and there.

“Good morning, Angelo,” the driver tipped his hat in greeting.

“Good morning, Peter. Have you had breakfast yet? I made my special corn bread yesterday and you’re welcome to some, if you want.”

The man blushed but laughed wholeheartedly after hearing the offer. “You know how to hook me in, don’t you. Sadly I have many things to attend to but the wife would love to have some, if you don’t mind me bringing some home.”

“Nonsense! You always ask the same question and you know that my answer will never change.”

“You’re too kind, oh Puppet Master. I don’t know when you pull my strings with that bull. But at least we get a free treat out of it.” He went silent when he looked over the blonde master carver’s shoulder and saw Eren approaching.

“Well, good morning to you, too, young one. Is that the kid you were talking about, Angelo?” he asked him.

“Why, yes! This is Eren Jaeger, my apprentice as of this day. Hurry over, Eren. Let’s introduce you to our guests.”

The said youth winced and slowly made his way to them and the children gawking at him. Or to be more precise, they were staring at his missing limbs.

“Good morning,” Eren greeted them, avoiding looking into the eyes of the children. Out of all kinds of people, he disliked children gazing at him the most. Their innocence and natural curiosity makes him uncomfortable and honestly didn’t want to ever tell children how he lost his limbs. Titans are a stuff of kids’ nightmares, after all.

“Alright, that’s enough staring. Staring is rude and you kids are making our Eren here, really uncomfortable.”

“Yes, Mr. Angelo,” the kids chorused.

“Well then, come inside, all of you, and wait for us. Eren and I will be getting the marionettes ready in fifteen minutes. Off with you.” Angelo laughed as the kids ran excitedly inside his home. Even the green-eyed young man couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“What exactly are we going to do today?” he asked his mentor as they went back into the workshop.

Angelo looked thoughtful before he answered. “Once a week children are brought here to be entertained by me. I do puppet shows for them and when we have time, I schedule a mini-woodwork workshop. Some kids exhibit talent at an early age. Plus it keeps their minds off of reality for a while.”

Eren looked grim. Even children like these suffer because of food shortages brought on by the loss of the Wall Maria. And there is always a threat hanging over them that the titans may break through the walls like they almost did with Wall Rose not long ago. Pain like a sharp dagger through his heart made him remember his strong conviction before.

His mentor smiled sadly at him in understanding. “Children aren’t the only ones who need be distracted from scary things. Even adults need comforting. It’s just harder for some people.”

Eren was unsure how he could help his mentor carry in things but Angelo merely took down some small, stringed puppets and hung them over his crutch.

“I’ll bring in the mini-theater so you better go ahead and take those inside.” Eren looked at the mini-theater the blonde man was talking about and caught his breath.

“You made that yourself?” he asked in awe.

“Of course! It’s my area of expertise among other things. Now run along, Eren. Let’s talk more after the kids leave.”

Eren nodded mechanically and made his way out. He was already making a lot of noise with the crutch thumping every step. Now he had to deal with the small marionettes clicking and clacking together. He’s like a small band of percussions all by himself. It made him make a wry face. _For the children. It’s for the children_.

It’s for the children. He just has to remember that and forget the racket he was making.

Thank goodness Angelo made it a habit to leave the doors open for him. He made it inside the house and into the large living room where the kids are obediently sitting on the carpeted floor, talking and playing with each other. They spotted him immediately, most likely because of the noise he was making. Angelo arrived just behind him and when they saw the mini-theater, they began cheering and giggling.

“Alright, you little runts, did you behave well?” Angelo asked them playfully.

“Yes!”

“Excellent! Eren, could you please close the draperies. After that, take a seat. It’ll be your first time seeing me perform, after all.”

For someone supposedly in hiding, Eren noticed that the man really liked to live in absolute comfort. This is the first person he met who actually has carpets and draperies in his home, things you would normally find in a rich man’s house. Then again, his mentor did say he was being paid generously by nobles living within Wall Sina.

He left the marionettes with Angelo, who was already engrossed in setting things up, and went to the windows to pull the heavy draperies over them, completely blocking out the light. There was no door going to the living room, however, so there was at least enough light to see what you are doing. The strike of a match brought his attention to Angelo lighting up an oil lamp and placing it on a small hook on the mini-theater.

“Alright, then. Eren, you may close the drapery over the doorway.”

“What?” Eren muttered to himself and realized that yes, there is a heavy drapery hanging above the entrance to the living room, and it was placed in a way that it could be pulled down by a rope found on one side of the doorway. After doing so, through the light of the small oil lamp, he made his way to a padded sofa, placing his crutch across his lap.

He must admit that this is the first time for him to watch an actual puppet show. It made him excited, almost feeling like an innocent child again, before his own tragedy struck. It’s… nice. It’s nice to feel like a child again.

\- - - - - -

Hanji and Moblit arrived back to the Scouting Legion’s headquarters just in time for dinner. As if she caused nothing disastrous when she left the day before, she breezed into the dining hall happily, skipping like a giddy girl, only to meet Levi’s poisonous glare.

“..Where the fuck have you been, damn four-eyes?” he growled threateningly, patience stretched spiderweb-thin.

“Oh,” she giggled nervously, looking anywhere but at Levi. “About that, I had to send Eren off yesterday. I helped him move in to his new home and it was a long trip so we stayed the night and-”

Levi grasped the top of her head, squeezing threateningly, making her stop her ridiculous babbling. “No dinner for you tonight. Instead, we’re going to my office and we’ll be having a long, painful discussion about your useless requests.”

The endangered woman threw a pleading glance at her assistant. Sadly, even Moblit wouldn't dare to get in Levi’s way. That’s very much like courting death and he would rather court a titan than face the Squad Leader head on.

As Hanji was being dragged away, Moblit sent a silent prayer for his superior. It’s just one of the common things to happen when the major and the corporal clash.

\- - - - -

Time passed quickly as Eren got used to living with Angelo and working in the workshop. He enjoyed working with his hand, and whenever he had free time from working on a new commission with his mentor, or entertaining kids, or even teaching older kids about simple woodworks, he would sit down under the shade of a tree in the forest found behind the house. He’d enjoy the silence and the cool breeze, and then he would sketch out some ideas. He didn’t dare share them with his blonde mentor just yet. Frankly he was too shy to. He had learned a lot from the older man. Certainly, he was even praised for having a talent for it.

But the sketches might seem too farfetched, even for his innovative mentor. It’s fun, albeit hard, to create things out of wood with just one hand. Honestly, he made do, and even got used to it already. But while he had been confined due to his injuries, after reading Ms. Hanji’s books on woodwork, he had dreamed of creating something out of wood, something he could make use of, in place of his missing limbs.

Recalling the basics of making marionettes with movable joints, it was still too difficult for him to design a limb based on the principles used in the puppets. But at the very least, he would like to make something of a prototype, just something, though not yet fully functional, definitely without proper appendages, he just wanted to feel a little bit whole.

“Eren?” Angelo called from the house. “Your friends are here. Would you want them to meet you there or are you coming inside?”

“I’ll be right there, Angelo.” he quickly made his way back home and met his two best friends in the living room.

“Eren!” they both exclaimed happily, making him smile and laugh a little.

“Armin! Mikasa! Miss Hanji didn’t go with you this time?”

Mikasa frowned at the inquiry while Armin looked away uncomfortably. “Well, let’s just say the major angered a certain someone again for today,” Armin answered for them both.

Clarity entered Eren’s eyes when he understood. Most of the time whenever Hanji Zoe would pay them a visit, she would be complaining about Corporal Levi and his every attempt to curtail her requests about titans.

“Oh. How was the expedition? When did you come back?”

“It’s the second expedition we’ve ever been on so I guess most of us still have trouble getting used to it,” Armin answered first.

“We got back a week ago but we only had time yesterday up to the end of this week. " Mikasa sat down next to Eren, wanting to keep close to her brother and friend.

Compared to before, the death toll among those in the legion are now significantly lower ever since Mikasa and his other fellow squadmates joined. It can't be denied that their batch is considered to be one of the strongest yet.

"How are the sketches going, Eren?" Armin thought to ask as he thankfully received a cup of warm tea from Angel.

"I haven't drawn anything new as of yet."

"Well, but he has made improvements on the designs of his previous ones," his mentor joined in.

Eren suddenly seemed all too excited and Angelo perfectly knows why. "Never mind that, Armin. Tomorrow, Angelo is going to help me make a working prototype for my missing limbs."

Though the young man says working prototype, it's more accurate to state that the model would be life-size and would weigh enough to counterbalance his other half. As to the design aspect of the prototype, due to complicated factors such as mobility, mechanics, and power source, these would not be added to the design as of yet. This leaves nothing but carved wood weighted just right to temporarily replace his missing limbs while they work out the more complicated factors to make a fully functional replacement.

Due to the definition of such an invention found in old books from the time before the titans roamed, Eren has correctly named this invention Prosthetics.

"Can I watch you start on it tomorrow?"Mikasa asked, truly happy for him. Though sometimes she wonders if Eren is only doing this in the hopes of joining the Scouting Legion like he had originally intended. But she only has to see him smile and talk enthusiastically about a new project he was working on, and she understood how sincere he is in his passion for creating wonderful things out of wood.

“Will that be okay? Are you not needed back in the Headquarters?”

“We have a week off, Eren. That was already mentioned. Besides, Commander Erwin needs to head to Sina and he’s taking all the Squad Leaders with him.”

“Some of us were given a week off while the rest stay. But after our week off, we come back on duty and some other batch will be given the next week off,” Armin added.

“Rotational,” Eren added in understanding. “Well then, I guess this means you both will be staying over. You can come watch, Mikasa. But don’t get too close or you’ll be in the way of our work, got it?”

The sparkles in her eyes seemed answer enough.

Armin pondered over his thoughts before sighing.

“What’s wrong, Armin?” Eren asked, worried over what could be bothering his friend.

“No, it’s just that we will need to apologize to you and Master Angelo.” Those words immediately caught Angel’s attention and he straightened up in his seat.

“What exactly have you done to apologize for,” he asked sternly and the seriousness in his voice caused Eren worry.

“It’s not Armin’s fault,” Mikasa immediately jumped to his defense. “It’s just that the others already knew who we visit on our days off. This time they asked to accompany us because they wanted to pay Eren a visit as well.”

“And well, we did ask Major Hanji what we should do and she said to bring them along but leave them halfway. She advised us to both go ahead and let you know before we come back and bring them along the rest of the way,” Armin explained.

Angelo said nothing for a moment, seemingly lost in his thoughts before sighing in defeat. “Did any of you say anything about me to them?”

The two nodded after sharing a look. “We told them about Eren living with his mentor. But we didn’t mention your name at all, because Major Hanji said you were a man who highly values his privacy,” Armin added.

Eren smiled after hearing those words. “Count on Armin to read between the lines. That was a good call. Let’s just say that there are some people in the military who aren’t as fond of Angelo’s works as they ought to be.”

Angelo nodded grimly to this. “They find it heretical because it reminds them of the past, before the titans roamed. I probably possess the most number of heretical books in existence. It’s a real pity that I could only salvage so much. The knowledge in them are priceless, too precious to be just burned and forgotten.”

“I’m reading some of them, Armin. And there are so many things in there you’d be delighted to know about,” Eren exclaimed happily. “He is welcome to read them too, right? Angelo?”

“Of course. Great knowledge should be shared. Too bad we can’t share them in the open. The Military Police are unforgiving. My grandfather can attest to that,” he glared as he remembered. “In which case, I think you both should go and fetch your friends right now. It’s more comfortable to sleep indoors once darkness falls. How far away did you leave them exactly?”

“About half an hour’s travel time on a swift horse. We were really excited to see you, Eren,” Armin said offhand, before the green-eyed youth could open his mouth to ask.

“Right. Take your time. It should give me enough time to cook lunch for all of us. I should make enough to feed twenty people. Whatever extra could be served for dinner as well.” The puppet master stood and collected the used cups and headed for the kitchen.

“I’ll come help you in a bit. Just gonna see them off first,” Eren called after the retreating back. Angelo waved without even turning and he disappeared into the hall.

“That’s that, then. Who exactly came with you?” They headed out the front door and followed a worn path to the side where the stable are situated.

“Oh, Sasha and Connie,” Armin started.

“Reiner, Annie and Bertholdt,” Mikasa continued.

“Jean and Marco,” Armin added.

“And Christa along with her add-on,” Mikasa finished on a sour note.

“Mikasa! You don’t have to call Ymir that,” their blonde friend exclaimed, looking hilariously scandalized.

“What do you have against Ymir, anyway? I thought you’d be more hostile with Annie,” Eren commented but Mikasa remained silent as she saddled her horse.

“Oh she still is.” Armin was done saddling and pulled the harness gently to lead his horse out of its stall and move to the front yard.

“There is just something not real about them,” Mikasa muttered. “I can only see truth in Sasha, Connie, and even Jean. But the rest of them, I feel like they are hiding their true selves under a layer.”

“It just might be your imagination, Mikasa. But I guess Jean really is who he is. He never hides what he really think and feel.”

“Are you running a fever, Eren? You don’t seem to be your usual self. You actually sounded like you were complimenting Jean,” Armin joked, looking down on his friend from atop his horse.

“Armin…” Eren called his name exasperatedly.

“We should go now, Armin.”

“Oh, yes. We’ll be back shortly, Eren. See you in a bit,” he pulled his harness a little, letting his horse start walking.

“Alright! Be careful on your way. Tell the others I said hi,” Eren saw them off before slowly making his way back inside the house.

\- - - - -

“Ahhh!!! I’m so bored,” Sasha whined for the nth time as she threw herself down beside Connie, who was strangely taking a nap while sitting up. He startled awake upon her landing, looked around blearily.

“What? What? Are they back?” he asked, words slurring.

“No. They’re not. I wonder what’s taking them so long,” Christa spoke up from where she was resting, seated under the shade of a tree.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t come back,” Ymir commented, ever the voice of negativity.

“Ymir!” Christa gasped in distress.

“So you’re saying they left us behind with no intention of leading us to Eren from the very start?” Annie concluded, making Bertholdt flinch.

“That’s not true. We all know what kind of people Mikasa and Armin are,” Marco said, trying to preserve the peace among them.

“How long have they been gone now?” Sasha decided to ask, though she felt that they have been waiting for the two to return for about half a day now.

“It’s been an hour already,” Jean replied, sounding really frustrated. “We’re better off trying to follow their trail. At least it would give us something to do. All this sitting around is making me insane.”

“Jean,” Sasha whispered, her eyes on the horizon in the direction their two friends went to.

“Not to mention, I’m hungry and eating bread isn’t gonna satisfy my stomach. It’s lunch time, damn it,” the horseface continued his whinnying, not hearing Sasha over his own voice.

“Jean,” Sasha muttered a little louder but none of them have yet to pay her any attention.

“We’re also just about to run low on water. Do you even know where the nearest stream is?”

“If there is any,” Connie added.

“Exactly! All that survival training we did is practically useless in this case because we don’t have an exact map of the terrain,” Jean continued his tirade while the others stared at him, about to lose their patience with him but not exactly disagreeing with his words.

“JEAN!” Sasha yelled, finally fed up with not being heard.

“What!?” Jean shot back just as loudly. Then he noticed her looking somewhere else, eyes wide. “What is it?” he asked, suddenly cautious.

“They’re back. I think that’s Mikasa and Armin.”

The others followed her eyes and saw dust clouds forming in the distance, growing steadily larger until they could make out two horses, and their riders that, judging from their hair color, really are Mikasa and Armin.

“Hey! Does this mean we’ll be seeing Eren now?” Connie couldn’t keep out the excitement from his voice.

“I hope so! Where Eren is, there is food,” Sasha cheered enthusiastically, already salivating at the thought.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Ymir cautioned. “We’re not even sure what decision has been made yet. We might be setting ourselves up for disappointment.”

“I’m sure Eren also wants to see us,” Christa was quick to reassure. “Right?”

No one could say anything to that.


	9. Reunion Triggers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll! Haha~~ I just updated Phantom Corporal yesterday and now VIP today. Read carefully, my awesome readers. There are some parts here in the story where I used some SnK doujinshi as reference because I was inspired by the plot they held.
> 
> I would like to reiterate that Snk is not mine but the genius work of Hajime Isayama, the mad genius mangaka! Also, the plot prompt that gave life to this story is also not mine as I have mentioned before. (If not me, it would be KAT)
> 
> And finally, people don't like plagiarism of their intellectual property so please respect that stories you find ARE NOT YOURS so don't copy and claim it as yours. If you love the stories, love them with dignity ;)

Armin and Mikasa pulled to a stop near their fellow friends and were immediately bombarded with questions and complaints. It only took a single cold glare from her to shut them up. Armin could only smile ruefully as the whole thing transpired.

“Sorry for the delay. We had to ask for permission from Eren’s mentor and, of course, Eren himself, if it was okay to bring you guys along for a visit,” Armin began as he slid off his horse and began rubbing it down.

“And? What would you guys do if they said no?” Jean challenged them.

“Oh! Then we would have left you here to fend for yourselves,” Armin answered quickly in a cheerful manner. It left Jean gaping at him incredulously.

“WHAT!?”Connie and Sasha yelled in unison.

“He’s joking,” Reiner came behind the two and ruffled their heads, making them grumble in protest.

“Let go, Reiner!” Connie yelled.

“Ah… I’m so hungry… Mikasa, Eren has food right? Do they have meat?” Sasha clutched at her stomach, drool leaking at the corner of her mouth.

“Give us at least ten minutes of break first,” Armin said wearily, gladly accepting the waterskin that Bertholdt handed him.

“After which we’ll ride for an hour at most,” Mikasa supplied and led both their horses where the others’ horses are grazing.

“Why that long?” Marco asked curiously. “If it took both of you an hour to go and then come back, then why would we take a whole hour to go altogether?”

“Our stomach couldn’t last that long empty…” Sasha groaned out for both hers and Connie’s sake.

“About that...Eren’s mentor is currently cooking up a feast for us at the moment. His specific orders were to take our time coming back so by the time we get there, the food will be freshly done and still piping hot.” Armin stretched his back and briefly massaged his thighs. “You don’t feel it during an expedition, but really, galloping on a horse for long periods of time makes one sore, huh.”

“I have a salve for sore muscles if you want some, Armin.”

“Thanks, Marco! But maybe later.”

\- - - - -

An hour later Eren had set the last of the plated food on the table while Angelo cleaned up the kitchen. “Soup, fresh special corn bread, meat… Heh, Sasha will be very satisfied,” he muttered to himself.

“What was that?” Angelo asked as he came in.

“Ah, no. I was just thinking out loud. A friend of mine will probably start worshipping you like a God for the food.”

“Really? Well they should be arriving soon. I’ve certainly outdone myself this time. I can’t wait to get started on the food!”

Just then they heard the clap of hooves on ground steadily getting closer, and both mentor and student went out to welcome their guests together. They could see Armin and Mikasa  taking the lead, but pretty soon, Connie and Sasha overtook them, before coming to a stop in front of the house.

“Hey, Eren! We came for the food!” Sasha yelled in happiness but Connie was quick to smack her head.

“Not the food. We came to visit Eren. Get it right!” the youth with the buzz-cut scolded her. “Sorry about that, Eren. You’re looking good.”

“Sorry, Eren. I’m just so hungry…” Sasha apologized with a laugh.

“Take care of your horse, wash up, and Eren and I will see you kids in the dining room,” Angel spoke up for the first time in their presence as the others came to a stop around Sasha and Connie as well.

“Sorry, sir,” Armin apologized for his comrades. “Being hungry makes them forget their manners.

“Don’t worry about it. You can show them the stables. Go in through the backdoor into the kitchen and wash up there.”

Eren nodded at them and went inside the house just behind his mentor. It was good to see his friends again. Even seeing Jean’s horseface couldn’t erase his happiness.

\- - - - -

 

“Eren seems to be doing really well,” Christa commented as they each rubbed down their horses. Her words had them pause momentarily before slowly resuming their activity.

“I agree,” Marco said with a smile, not taking his eyes away from his horse. “It’s not like Armin and Mikasa didn’t say so. But it feels more real, seeing him with our own eyes.”

“He looked so dead after Major Hanji saved him, when Mikasa brought him in… It gives me nightmare sometimes,” Sasha confessed, uncharacteristically solemn. The haunted look in her eyes was a side the others hadn’t seen before.

“Isn’t it great then?” their dark-skinned friend spoke up. She was already leading her horse into an unoccupied stall before getting the feed for her horse and for the others’ as well. “Because Armin and Mikasa were right. He is doing well for himself. The fact that he can smile at us again, means that he hasn’t given up at all.”

“Gah! He’s like a weed after all!” Jean yelled out. “Hard to kill and can sprout anywhere despite anything.”

“That’s right! He really is like that!” Sasha laughed out loud, and the slight tension disbursed around them.

“Now that we took care of the horses, we can wash up. You girls can go wash up with Mikasa inside the kitchen. The rest of us can wash up at the well.” The girls followed Mikasa through the backdoor while the guys followed Armin to the well just behind a shed.

“That guy, Eren’s mentor… he really owns this much land?” Connie asked as he spied through the trees, a forest really, behind the house.

“Yes. Major Hanji explained to us before, that Mr. Angelo’s ancestor contributed a lot to the wealth of his family.”

Armin caught Connie trying to look through the trees and smiled. “There’s a… cabin of sorts through the trees. Eren spends his time there when he’s not doing anything with his mentor. Maybe he’ll show you later. In any case, Eren does his sketching under a tree in a small clearing near his… cabin.”

“That sounds very luxurious,” Jean snorted.

“I suppose so.” Armin chuckled.

A while later they joined the rest in the dining room where they were really treated to a feast. Sasha and Connie especially, made a lot of noise to show their appreciation for the treat. And as Eren had predicted, Sasha, with a mouth full of Angelo’s special corned bread, bowed down before his mentor in adulation, worshipping a God that provided her glorious food.

“Hey Eren, Armin says you have a secret base out back, in the woods. Can we go see it?”Connie tactlessly blurted out now that everyone had their fill and were helping out clearing the table.

“Secret base?” the green-eyed youth tilted his head in confusion. “Ah! That’s not really a secret base or anything…”

“Are you a kid?” Reiner put his huge hand on Connie’s head as the short youth bristled.

“I’ll take you to see it, sure. But you might want to settle your things in your living quarters first. I’m… going to go ahead and clean up my workshop a bit for your ‘inspection’. Mikasa can take you all there after you’re done settling.” With that, Eren walked slowly towards where Angelo was, intending to ask him about his plans later.

\- - - - -

"Ah, this place is all cluttered," Connie grimaced once they got a look of the inside.

"It actually reminds me of Major Hanji's room when her assistant is on his day off," Marco remarked. "Just the stack of books though. I can't even imagine seeing woodcarving projects and sketches of carving designs in her room."

"The sketches are really good, Eren." Reiner clapped him on his shoulder. He went off to stand by Bertholdt who was looking one of Eren's unfinished projects.

"These marionettes are beautiful," Christa breathed out as she looked at another one of the green-eyed youth's projects.

"Eren! This is-!?" Armin cried out while holding one completed marionette gently. Mikasa left Eren's side to see what had their friend react and was frozen upon seeing it.

“Oh, so you found it. I was going to show it to you both once you got here. But I didn’t expect so many visitors to come with you.” The green-eyed youth laughed to himself as he made his slow way to them both.

“What is it?” Sasha and Connie went to them curiously as well. And the others did the same.

“Oh! A marionette!” Christa exclaimed in delight.

Eren smiled gently, not taking his eyes away from his creation still being held by his best friend. “It’s actually a marionette in my mother’s image. I made a lot of prototypes of a marionette’s body,specifically the joints and once I perfected it, I made one of my mother. She’s basically my first finished success.”

“Your mother was really pretty, huh?” Sasha surprisingly commented in a quiet tone. Usually she would’ve been loud when anything gets her feeling ecstatic.

“Yeah. You must take from her. You look similar,” Marco shared his thought as well. “Did Mr. Angelo help you with painting her? It really looks great.”

“The simple dress is pretty, as well. Don’t tell me Mr. Angelo can also sew clothing!”

“Actually, Eren and Mr. Angelo would just sketch out the clothing they want and have it made by a seamstress in town,” Armin answered knowingly, considering how many times he and Mikasa already visited Eren and his mentor.

“Speaking of sketches, Armin, want to see my latest sketch? Mr. Angelo checked it out already and we’ll be making it in the next few days.”

“Oh! The one you mentioned before? Have you worked out how you can keep it attached to your stumps?” Armin went to fetch the indicated sketchpad, completely missing the grimaces of their comrades at the mention of Eren’s stumps.

“Yeah. For the moment we’ll be using leather straps and belts. The hard part will be calculating the exact weight for them to perfectly counterbalance my limbs on the other side. Can you help us with that?”

“Sure! Though it might take you how many tries until we get it right. Do you have enough wood already cut for this project?” The two friends talk, their heads bowed together over the sketchpad and making notes around the sketch. It seemed that they had already forgotten about the others’ presence.

“Hey! What are you guys talking about?!” Jean asked irritatedly in a loud voice, displaying his petulant side once again.

The two blinked, as if lost for a moment and then remembered that they were not alone. “The same as always, aren’t you, horseface! Can’t stand it if you’re not being paid any attention?” Eren scowled at being interrupted.

“Calm down, Eren,” Armin pacified his friend. “Eren plans to make at least a temporary prosthetic limb for his leg so he can walk easier and faster than he can currently.”

“Prosthe-?” Jean grasps the word cluelessly.

“Prosthetic, Jean,” Marco assists him. “Like a new limb, but not a real one.”

“I know what it means!” Jean spluttered, shooting his friend a mild glare which only seemed to bounce off considering Marco’s still smiling countenance.

“That’s a surprise. Guess you’re not that dumb,” Eren grumbled, still sore about Jean interrupting an important discussion.

“Hey-!”

“Is there something we can help with?” Christa asked, successfully diffusing the heated tension about to arise.

“We could always use an extra pair of hands, little miss,” a voice from the doorway caught all their attention. Angelo was leaning on its frame as he looked into them lazily. “But Eren and I will be needing help from the boys more, I should think. Wood work is a process of multiple trial and errors. And for that we need you young men to cut us down more trees.”

“But don’t worry little miss,” the blonde mentor walked further in and patted Christa’s head in passing. “I’m gonna need you girls on kitchen duty as I will be busy with Eren and Armin in here for the next few days. But of course Mikasa can help with whatever she wants!”

And so it went for the next few days. The young men would do the manual labors from straining chores to cutting down indicated trees for the use of woodwork. The girls would do housework, even, surprisingly,  Annie who for some unknown reason, volunteered to help out in the kitchen. Then came the point that one of them had to go into the nearest town to run errands.

Eren, after going on three days straight working on his project, had decided to take a short break. He wanted to stretch his leg and volunteered to join on the supply run. Arguments regarding who would be going with him sprouted before they came to a logical conclusion. As Angelo would be in his room to rest for the whole day, Eren would be the next best person who knows his way around the town.

“Christa will come with you. We have everything else covered,” Ymir pointed out and gave her friend a list of what they needed. “Alright then, get going!”

They attached two horses to the covered wagon Angelo had in storage and though it irks Eren, Christa will be the one to drive them to town. So the two youths sat in front together and set off.

“Hey Eren, I’ve been wondering this for a long time now but may I ask what that is around your neck?” Christa asked thoughtfully, genuinely curious but also asking for the sake of passing the time.

“Oh, this?” Eren took out the key under his shirt. “It was from my father before he…” he winced suddenly as pain lanced his head while he thought of the moment his father gave him this key.

“Are you alright?” the blonde girl asked in worry.

“No, I’m fine. I must be more tired than I thought.” Eren was quick to reassure though he was quite unsure about it.

“If you want, you can rest in the back until we arrive into town,” she offered.

“No, really I’ll be fine. Where were we? That’s right, my father! He disappeared after he left me his key. I don’t even know if he’s still alive out there somewhere. This was the key to our house basement. My father had made that his office, his research area. I’d always wanted to go there and see what he was doing. He’d always told me not yet.”

“Oh that’s right. Your father was a doctor, if I remember correctly.”

“Yes. But this key is practically useless now…” The words somehow brought a strange pain to his chest. “My hometown is overrun with titans and my house is nothing but a collapsed rubble.”

“Maybe your father wanted you to become a doctor?” Christa took a guess.

“Maybe… I think he would have liked that. At some point I wanted to become a doctor like him. But I wanted to be outside the walls since I was a kid and was still capable of dreaming big. That’s why I made up my mind to become a soldier and join the Scouting Legion. It didn’t help that no one appreciated them. It just made me want to become part of them all the more.”

Christa looked to the horizon in silence after those words were uttered. It saddened her how many awful things Eren had to go through despite his sincere feelings. “I’m sorry, Eren.”

The brunette smiled in question. “What for? I became a soldier, for a short while. And I helped people. Heck, I saved Armin’s life. If losing my limbs is the price I had to pay to save my friend then I regret nothing.”

Christa smiled tremulously as she kept her eyes forward. “Perhaps your father gave that key to you as a reminder where you came from, that you should cherish what is precious to you, to keep your heart strong no matter what.”

“Perhaps. It didn’t hurt to be surrounded by friends either. I honestly don’t know what to feel about my father disappearing from my life so abruptly after I just lost my mother and everything I ever knew. But… perhaps you’re right, Christa.”

The silence was prevalent between them after that. It was a peaceful kind of silence born from true camaraderie. They reached town by mid afternoon and people barely blinked upon seeing Eren’s form. The shock from seeing his limbless situation had gradually disappeared, it simply became the norm of things.

Children that would go to Angelo’s home weekly for his puppet shows called their greetings to the young man. And their parents would give them some things to bring home, always appreciative of Angelo and now Eren’s way of comforting their children.

“The kids really love you,” Christa smiled in delight as another child let out giggles upon seeing them, especially Eren.

“They’re not bad. It was disconcerting how blunt children could be at first. I keep trying to recall if I was like that, before the Fall. I probably tried my mother’s patience.”

“Oh, where can we get this?” Christa asked Eren, pointing to an item on the list.

“That? We have to go by foot to reach the place that sells those. We can leave the wagon to this town’s stable master, he’s the one who brings the kids around to watch our puppet show.” He proceeded to give her directions to the public stables which they reached in no time.

“Eren Jaeger!” a boisterous voice greeted them and out came the stable master. “Out on errands again? Oh, but I don’t recall Angel turning into an actual, female angel,” the man kidded.

“Good afternoon, Peter.This is my friend from the Scouting Legion, Christa Lenz. We were trainees together.”

Peter’s visage darkened upon hearing that. “I’m sorry, child. Adults are foolish to have made children your age fight for us, to fight those monsters face to face.”

Oh… so that’s why he made that face… Christa couldn’t help to think. “It’s nothing Mr. Peter should apologize for. I chose this path myself and I had a lot of thinking done before I made my choice to be part of the military.”

“Even children sometimes wish they had what it takes to get rid of the monsters that make their parents wear such awful expressions,” Eren added.

“Here I am bringing up pointless things. Sorry about that,” Peter shook himself out of his gloomy disposition. “So you’ll be leaving the wagon here? I’ll stable them myself. You two go on ahead and finish your errands. And don’t forget to step into my home before you take your leave for home. My wife has something for you and Angel.”

“... Right. Thank you, Peter. We’ll do that.” Eren hopped down with the aid of his crutches and waited for Christa to make her way down as well.

\- - - - -

“That man takes it to heart, huh?” Christa commented, her thoughts back to that stable master.

“He always knew that young people our age join the military, for food, for pride, for show, it doesn’t matter what reasons they have. Seeing me limbless and knowing about my background just made him fully understand, and that realization made him horrified because he saw himself as a coward. He’s the adult and I’m the kid who joined the military and lost his limbs in his fight to protect humanity. He started getting gloomy dispositions after he met me, once in a while.”

“He’s too kind…”

“Yes,” Eren said firmly. “Yes, he is.”

“He would not have been suited to be a soldier.”

“It makes me wonder what you’re doing in the military, for the same reason, Christa.”

Christa looked down on the cobbled pavement they were walking on. “I’m not that kind.”

“.... I see.” He stopped abruptly and the blonde girl belatedly realized why. “We’re here. I’ll wait outside. You go on ahead and make your purchase.”

“I’ll try to be quick,” she promised and went inside the establishment.

Two minutes passed and some disreputable looking.... troublemakers, three of them, had Eren surrounded. Seeing a disabled Eren made them think him easy, vulnerable prey. Perhaps in another universe he would have been. Perhaps not.

“What can I do for you?” Eren asked calmly, his whole body strung tight for any signs of an attack.

“We’ve been following you since you entered town,” the bigger guy, this ragtag group’s leader, spoke up. “Why don’t you give us all you have, and that girl with you, and we’ll leave you alive?”

The ex-soldier gazed at them coldly which riled them all up. “Bro, he’s looking down on us!” the skinny underling yelled as if he was personally insulted.

“What!?” the leader grabbed a fistful of Eren’s shirt and slammed him to the brick wall. “You’re just a cripple. Stop acting tough and give us the goods!”

The ‘cripple’ winced in pain but turned his icy stare into a burning glare which had the bigger guy flinch. “How about ‘no’, you worthless lug!”

He used the crutch like a staff and balanced himself by leaning on the wall behind him. He spun it around and forced the guy to let go of him. And in two swift hits, he had the two underlings knocked out, leaving the leader to stare at him in bewilderment.

“What in hell-?”

“Eren!” Christa, who heard the commotion, hurried with her purchases and went out only to see Eren in a fighting stance, two unconscious bodies on the ground, and a dirty hoodlum beginning to seethe in anger.

“Christa! Get back inside!” Eren yelled in warning but he was too late. The man had gotten her in his clutches and the people witnessing the chaos tried to stay away. The store owner whose establishment Christa had just come out from, had his apprentice call for assistance from some Garrison soldiers  stationed in their town.

The following events went too fast to comprehend until after it was all over. One minute the blonde girl was struggling out of the troublemaker’s grip when she whipped around and struck his jaw upwards with the heel of her hand. She immediately cleared the area for Eren who had launched himself using the brick wall at his back and delivered a powerful punch. Using his crutch as assistance, he used his remaining leg to trip the guy, and his remaining arm to flip the body around mid-air only to land painfully on the cobbled pavement.

The whole sequence was reminiscent of the moves Annie had done on him and taught him, back when he still had all his limbs. The witnesses were still stunned when the Garrison soldiers arrived and apprehended the three troublemakers. By that time, the two teenagers were already on their way back to the stable master’s home. When one of the soldiers were taking down statements from the witnesses, all of them answered that two teenagers subdued the three suspected criminals, a cripple and an angelic blonde girl.

“Let me get this straight. Are you saying a crippled teenager knocked down two of them. The one left used the small girl as hostage but she broke his jaw and broke free. And then the cripple used a mysterious fighting style and knocked out the last guy, who you say is twice the size of that cripple? And I thought I was drunk,” the soldier muttered the last part to himself in disbelief.

\- - - - -

“Eren, how’s your body?” Christa asked as they rested inside Peter’s home. The wife was wrapping up containers of fruit jam into packages, in return for the fruits Angel had her husband bring home.

“I’m fine. No injuries. Though it has been awhile since I fought like that, kinda pulled my muscle,” Eren replied ruefully. From now on he should not lax from training his body, he promised himself.

Christa was pretty sure something else has happened to Eren other than the obvious fight earlier. But she chose to let it go. She had forgotten that titans aren’t the only dangers to humanity. Even in your everyday lives, danger suddenly appears and crime runs rampant. If you think about it, humans are more dangerous to their fellow man, compared to titans who are straightforward in their desire to eat you. And now Eren is faced with this same danger. He sure is brave because he is still able to trust other people.

“Let’s head back. Peter should have the wagon ready, and Mrs. Wagner will be handing the packages to us once we’ve settled on the wagon. I’ll drive this time while you hold on to the fruit jams.”

They made their way out and it was just as Eren had said. Peter hoisted Eren up despite his boisterous protest just as the wife came out holding the packages. She gave them to the blonde one once she was settled in her seat.

“Thank you Mrs. Wagner,” Christa said, not forgetting her manners.

“Nonsense. Call me Melissa like Eren should be doing,” she scolded playfully. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? I’m sure Angel won’t mind.”

“We’re sure, Mrs. Wagner,” Eren answered mischievously. “I have my friends over so we best be getting back.”

“Alright  then. Tell Angel thanks for the fruits as always.”

“You already know this, Melissa. A share of the jam you made out of the fruits he gave you is thanks enough. They really are delicious. I’ll make some apple jam for you someday. It was my mother’s recipe,” Eren promised before slapping the reins. They said their goodbyes and the couple remained outside to watch them go until they lost sight of them.

\- - - - -

 

“What’s taking those two so long,” Jean whined as he sat on the front porch steps, sweaty from cutting down trees and then subdividing them further. “I’m hungry. I’m tired. And sweaty. And sore!”

“You really are still a brat,” Angelo came out of the house well-rested. “They should be arriving any minute now. You boys clean up. They’ll be bringing home some special treats from some of my friends in town.”

“Treats!?” Sasha peeked from the kitchen entryway upon hearing the word.

“Treats?” Ymir looked at her weirdly. “Are you hearing things?”

“My hearing is sharp from hunting back in my hometown. I definitely heard Mr. Angelo say treats the two are bringing back from their trip.”

“She’s right,” Connie agreed as he and the other guys came in through the back door after cleaning up by the well.

Just then, they heard Eren and Christa’s arrival well enough and they all went out to help them bring in the purchases.

“What’s that you’re holding, Christa?” Ymir automatically took notice of the packages on her lap.

“Fruit jam from the stable master’s wife. She made it from the fruits Mr. Angelo gave her. There are all kinds of them. Let’s have it with bread later?”

“Oh? So that’s why he had us bake bread earlier. Sneaky puppet master,” Ymir muttered with a sly smile.

“I make a business of making puppets, dolls, and marionettes. Being sneaky is just a piece of cake,” Angelo retorted as he had Bertholdt and Reiner return the horses and the wagon to their proper places.

\- - - - -

“You were what? Did they hurt you, Christa?” Ymir suddenly started fussing over her friend once she relayed about the ruckus that happened earlier.

“Eren, did you kill them? If not, I’ll do it for you,” Mikasa muttered, a threatening aura emitting around her body.

“I handled everything just fine, Mikasa,” Eren said bluntly as he dipped his bread on the puddle of jam on his plate. “I’m sure the Garrison has them arrested already. Though I really let my body go, getting used to being a civilian.”

Ymir took note of Christa stiffening in her seat momentarily after Mikasa mentioned ‘kill’. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she whispered to the blonde youth beside her.

Christa forced a small smile. “Yes, Ymir. I must be tired and only feeling it now. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”

Ymir tuned out the loud conversation going on around them and focused on Christa. Now that she looked closely, her friend seemed to be feeling down and trying to hide it.

“Ymir…” Christa called softly, looking down on her plate. “People are also dangerous, huh?”

The dark-skinned girl looked thoughtfully at her and then at Eren before answering. “Yes. Sometimes they are more dangerous than titans. They lie to your face. They cheat. They become greedy.”

She closed her eyes before continuing. “But we also can’t forget that titans came from humans.” And the way she said, Christa felt like it held more meaning to Ymir than to her.

**  
  
**

**Author's Note:**

> Axa doesn't have tumblr so I'm doing the tracking. I'm tracking katastroficwriter, katastrofic222, fic: VIP and fic: venator in prosthesis.  
> Feel free to drop me an ask!


End file.
